Imperial Celestial
by Spartan-029
Summary: Every person has a spirit and an element. What would you do if you fond out yours was they key to the survival of your own world and another's. What if those trying to protect both worlds were trying to kill you? Certo must make a choice. Fight Or Flee.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Cee, wake up."

"Huh?" Certo jerked and looked at his friend sitting next to him.

"It's your turn to read Mr. Edward." Ms. Yamato called from the front of the room.

"Oh! Shit!" Certo cursed under his breath and stood up, book in hand.

"You have been following along with us, correct?" Ms. Yamato was, in general, a fairly laid back teacher. But when students slacked off or stepped out of line she could get down right ugly.

"Yes ma'am." Certo stammered. "I was just reading ahead a bit and got lost." He wasn't lying but this wasn't the first time it had happened.

Ms. Yamato sighed. "Page sixty-seven, paragraph four."

"Yes ma'am." Certo nodded and began to read the passage aloud.

Certo was a seventeen year-old exchange student from the Europe. He had spent the last five months going to school in Japan with his childhood friend JT. Certo wasn't scheduled to go back home for another six months, which was fine by his standard. With his love of Japanese pop culture,as well as his unusual natural talent for drawing manga, he was practically an icon here in Japan.

The bell for lunch rang and the students were dismissed. JT and Certo went down to the school yard to enjoy their lunches with their other friends.

"You know, I envy you." Miumi said. "You always get called on by the teacher but it's never for anything bad." Miumi was JT's twin sister. She had long dark hair like her brother but tied in pony tails.

"I guess it's just luck." Certo shrugged as they sat down to eat.

"Hey guys!" A cheerful voice called from across the courtyard. The three friends looked up to see Shin and Nerene walking towards them. Shin had short cut hair and was a senior class member as well as Nerene. Nerene had long flowing hair and a body that could kill. She was often the main attraction of many of the guys at school.

"What's up mates." Certo greeted in his usual European fashion.

"The usual." Shin smiled.

"Hello Certo." Nerene bowed her head slightly. "Lovely day it is."

"You can say that again." Certo smiled brightly and moved over and allowed her to sit next to him.

"Have you guys gotten your ideas for creative writing class?" Shin asked as he wolfed down an enormous rice ball.

"We do." JT nodded with his sister, then his gaze drifted to Certo who stared blankly down at his lunch box.

"You're lost again aren't you?" Miumi pointed out.

Certo lifted a notebook out of his backpack and flipped through several pages. "I've got ideas but..."

"You can't decide what to do officially?" Nerene finished.

"Right."

"Well, I'm sure Mr. Chai will be willing to help you narrow down your ideas."

"Hm." Certo nodded.

"Come on Certo, cheer up." Nerene gave him a playful nudge with her shoulder. "It's not the end of the world if you don't come out with the best story in the world. A good one is always nice too."

"Yeah." Miumi agreed.

"Seriously." Shin grabbed Certo in a head lock and mussed up his long long red hair. "You try too hard to overachieve yourself. Just let it flow."

"Alright I will!" Certo gagged. "Now let me go!" The senior student let him go and he and Nerene left the juniors alone.

"I still haven't told them." Miumi pointed out after a moment of silence.

"Thank you." Certo sighed. "I would appreciate it if you kept it quiet."

"Hey, what are friends for?" JT slugged his friend who hit him back.

The truth was that Certo was not sure that he wanted to go home. He had always been a bit of an oddball back in Europe. He seemed to live in a dream world and sometimes had trouble discerning his dreams from real life. His parents had sent him to counseling after he went through a period of waking up from nightmares as a child. The doctors could not seem to find anything wrong with him and had suggested the possibility that he was doing it for attention. Ever since, Certo's parents had paid little mind to him and had only agreed to sign for his needs and let him do as he pleased. It was a really lonely life back home. But one he could temporarily forget about here where he had real friends who cared about how he felt and thought.

Lunch ended and Certo proceeded throughout the rest of the day until school was over. After the final bell rang Certo rose to pack his things. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and whirled around.

"Whoa, Certo. it's only me." Nerene jumped, equally as surprised as Certo was.

"Sorry." Certo gasped. "I just wasn't expecting that."

"Certo, are you okay?" Nerene asked with a worried look in her eyes. "You don't seem yourself."

"I guess I'm just stressed out." Certo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Nerene sighed. "Well I came to ask if you would help Shin and I with moving some things, but I don't want you overexerting yourself."

"I'm okay really." Certo chirped. He forced his energy level back up to normal. "What can I do for you?"

Nerene cocked an eyebrow. "For me?"

Certo's cheeks turned a bit red. "You know what I mean." A grin passed over his lips and Nerene smiled. She was very flirty at times and loved to toy with Certo when he was having an off day.

"That's better." She took hold of Certo's arm. "It's no fun to be around you when you're frowning. Now come with me." She led him out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Certo yawned as he left the school with Shin and Nerene. There had been a water leak in one of the chemistry rooms and all the equipment needed to be moved out. It took a good three hours to do but Certo was feeling a bit more replenished after hauling all the heavy items out of the room.

"Thanks for the help Certo." Shin clapped a hand on Certo's shoulder as they left the building. "We would have been there a lot longer without your help."

"I do what I can." Certo chuckled, a bit embarrassed at the attention he was getting.

"You do more than you know." Shin smiled. "See you both tomorrow?"

"Count on it." Certo nodded.

"Great. See you then." Shin waved and left his two schoolmates in the courtyard together.

"Certo." Nerene grabbed his attention. "Would you mind walking me home?" Certo looked down at her. She was getting that flirtatious look in her eye. "It's not safe for a girl to be walking home on her own you know.

"If you insist." Certo laughed nervously. Nerene smiled and took hold of his arm as she usually did.

"You never cease to amaze me." Nerene pointed out after they had walked in silence for a few blocks.

"Why is that?" Certo asked plainly.

"Just watching you work in that room. You move so fast. Even with all the heavy items there were, you make it look like nothing."

"I fail to see what the big deal is." Certo shrugged.

Nerene stopped him. "Come." She ordered. "Stand still." Certo did and Nerene removed his jacket. "Look at your arms. You're so skinny but you have astounding upper-body strength. Shin, not even the strongest person in the school could carry that many tables at once." Certo had carried out four of the tables on his own insisting that he do it himself. He could have carried more but the task would have been more difficult to perform.

"I guess I just work out a lot."

"Is that so?" Nerene raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Then why are you an average athlete in P.E.?" Certo shrugged. Nerene let her eye move from his eyes down. Certo's eyes followed hers. Before he realized what she was looking at Nerene reached out and grabbed his shirt. She pulled it out of his pants and exposed Certo's stomach. "Ooh." Nerene whistled as she looked over her schoolmate's abdominal muscles. He didn't have a full six-pack yet but it was definitely apparent that Certo was a strong athlete.

"Are you done?" Certo asked, a bit embarrassed by the girl staring at a bare part of his body.

Nerene giggled. "Yeah. Sure." She tucked his shirt back in and Certo felt his blood temperature rise. "Thanks for walking me." Nerene sighed after they had walked a couple more blocks. "It was fun. We should do it again sometime." She spun to face Certo in an almost cute fashion.

"As long as it doesn't involve me having to remove any articles of clothing." Certo chuckled nervously.

"Aw, are you saying that you wouldn't do it even if I asked you?" Nerene gave a playful smile and held Certo's arm close to her chest.

"Uh, I..." Certo's face was turning red and he was beginning to sweat.

"I'm just teasing you." Nerene gave his nose a flick and opened the door to her yard. "I will see you tomorrow. Get some rest and don't worry too much about your story okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for reminding me." Certo gave a half-hearted smile. "Get some rest yourself. See you tomorrow." He waved as he turned back down the street.

The sun was already low and it was getting dark out. As Certo passed his school, a breeze sent a chill through his body. He shuddered and rubbed his shoulders to snap himself out of his trance. The breeze continued to sweep around him as he moved on towards his apartment. He could have stayed with JT but liked the idea of living on his own better.

A vibration in his pocket caught his attention. Certo pulled out his cell phone. It was a text message from JT.

_At your place. You almost done?_

Certo was about to text back when another gust of wind blew through him. This time it was much more forceful.

"What in bloody hell was that?" The wind picked up again and Certo was hit with another gust of wind. And then another. And another. Each was getting stronger than the last. Certo gritted his teeth and tried to force himself against the wind.

Suddenly there was a loud roar from above. Certo looked up to see a monstrous beast beating its wings against the wind.

"A dragon? What is going on around here?" Certo gasped. The creature stared down at the boy with beady yellow eyes shining in wild anticipation. Certo took a slight step and the Dragon dove down with talons outstretched. Certo was frozen in disbelief. He tried to scream but the wind took his voice away. He raised his hands to shield himself and prayed that he would wake up any second. The next thing he knew his arm was on fire. He opened is eyes and found himself in the clutches of the dragon. One of the talons had torn a gash in his right arm. Blood flowed quickly from the open wound and fell to the ground far bellow. The dragon gave a triumphant roar and then a bolt of lightning snapped across the sky and Certo's world went blank.

Certo woke up to a burning feeling in his right arm. He groaned and opened his eyes. The ceiling spun around him and he closed his eyes quickly before the urge to throw up could overwhelm him.

"Are you awake?"

Certo groaned in pain. He cracked one eye and let it roll around the room. The ceiling was stone with wooden beams spread across it like a spider web.

"Hey." A girl leaned over him.

"Aaahh!" Certo sat straight up and nearly hit the girl with his head. He rolled away and leaped out of the bed. "Who are you! Where am I? What's going on?" He was fully awake now and prepared to fight.

"Settle down now." The girl tried to coax him towards her but Certo stood his ground. "You've been asleep for a couple of days now. You were injured so we brought you here to heal your wound."

Without taking his eyes off the girl, Certo raised his arm. He looked down and screamed. What had once been a normal human arm was now a long, muscular, scaly reptilian arm. Certo fell back swinging his arm wildly, knocking over several tables and vases in the process.

"Wait! It's okay!" The girl protested and leaped gracefully over the bed. Certo rolled away from her and stood to face her clutching at his arm.

"What in bloody hell is going on around here! What did you do to me!"

"If you would be so kind as to sit down and relax I would be happy to explain it." The girl sat down on the bed and gestured for Certo to sit down as well. He didn't budge. "Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Maria. I'm a sorceress." Certo remained silent with wide eyes. "You, Certo..." He bobbed his head slightly. "In our world here, known as Atlas, you are what is referred to as the holder of the Imperial."

"The Imperial? What in blue blazes is that?"

"There is a mystical being that bounces between our two worlds. It's power is unmeasurable and we were hoping you would help us with that power."

"What makes you think I'm this Imperial power?"

"Take a look at your arm." Certo looked down at the glossy black scales that covered his arm. "We called forth your inner beast to heal the wound on your arm and found the black scales of the Imperial. That there is proof that the power resides within you."

"Couldn't you just change my appearance since you're a sorceress?"

"None of my magic works like that. I can change my appearance but I'm not qualified to use magic like that on others."

"Mm." Certo mumbled.

"The Imperial is a type of dragon with immense power and was used to bring peace to whichever world it was in. The harmony and balance in our world was stable for some time but things quickly changed that." Maria looked away from Certo with a sad look on her face. "Wars began breaking out between nations and we Spell-Casters were hunted down and killed." She looked back to Certo with tears brimming at the rims of her eyes. "You have no idea how many friends and family I've lost to those who have hunted us."

"I'm sorry." Certo knelt down in front of her. It was then he got his first real good look at her. She had blonde hair down to her shoulders which turned green at the tips. Her eyes were bright yellow-green and her skin was fairly tan like his.

"We were hoping that if you would lend us the power inside of you that we could end this senseless conflict." She took hold of Certo's clawed hand and ran her fingers over the five talons. "Please."

Certo sighed and was silent for a moment. "What can I do?"

"You will!" Maria chirped with a sudden smile on her face. "Oh, I'm so happy!" She swept Certo up into a big hug. The teen blushed, not sure whether he should hug her with his deadly talons or not. Instead, he used his one good arm. "Come, come! I will introduce you to the others!" Maria grabbed Certo's hand and pulled him out the door. The castle was medieval but looked almost brand new.

"Now that I think about it..." Certo thought to himself. "She doesn't dress to fit this medieval style." He noticed her garments resembled those of a modern day athletic jump suit.

"Everyone! Everyone!" Maria called as she pulled Certo down the hallway and into a vast chamber filled with lit candles. "The Imperial has agreed to help us!"

"How so?" A talk old man in white robes turned from a flaming altar at the head of the chamber turned around. "I am glad to see that you have recovered well my young friend."

"Um... Thank you." Certo scratched his head with his talons and was quickly reminded of how sharp they were.

"I am Alexander. I am head of the Knight-Casters. We are the group striving to stop the Dark Ki organization." The man seemed to glide over to Certo. He reached out and took a hold of his talon. "And with your help we hopefully will be able to put an end to this pointless struggle."

"Is the Dark Ki the name of the group that's hunting you?" Certo asked Maria.

"Yes." The girl answered with a tone of distaste in her voice.

"Then what do I need to do?" Certo stood at his full upright position and seemed to tower in his own way. He was now at eye level with the old man who now wore a pleased grin on his mouth.

"Then let us get started." Alexander spread his arms and the flames inside the chamber brightened. It was then that Certo realized that the there were no candles attached to the flames. It sent a chill through his body he shuddered.

"Is everything okay?" Maria asked. She had noticed the way he shook himself.

"Yeah. Just cold." Certo replied with a fake smile. He turned away and the smile disappeared. "What am I doing?" He thought to himself. "I have no idea what this will do to me. I want to help, but at what cost?" He turned back to Maria. "What exactly is going to go on?"

Maria was a bit confused by the question, but then placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to worry about it hurting. We have spells that will allow us to call forth the beast spirit inside of you."

"So I'm going to change even more?" Certo rolled his talon around.

"I would expect so." Maria nodded. "The best way I can describe it is like having an out of body experience. Your beast stays connected to your consciousness and reacts to situations the way you would."

"I see. So even though we are different, we are still part of the same being."

"Yes."

"I guess I'm okay with that." Certo turned back to watch as Alexander moved to the head of the chamber. A pair of doors opened and dozens of cloaked figures filed into the room. Each had on a red hooded cloak heavily detailed in gold celtic-like designs. They formed a circle around the room and came to a stop on either side of Maria. Certo looked from them to her.

"Go stand in the middle of the room." She gestured. "We have to channel our energies into you in order call out your dormant beast spirit."

"Uh, right." Certo slowly walked to the middle of the circle. The uneasy feeling in his stomach was getting worse. But what could he do? He had already agreed to help. How could he say no after these people had taken care of him and had been so patient as to explain things in a calm fashion rather than treating him like an idiot.

Alexander rose into the air and began to glow a deep crimson. He began chanting something in a language that Certo had never heard before. Then the cloaked figures began to chant as well. They began to glow even more than Alexander and they seemed to tremble almost. As if they were having trouble standing. Certo looked around his uneasiness even more apparent now.

You'll be fine. Maria's voice echoed inside his mind. Certo looked over at her to see her staring at him while on one knee. Certo tried to move towards her but his body wouldn't budge. He tried to move again but he wasn't moving.

"What's going on?" He asked himself, unable to hear himself speak. "Why can't I move?" He looked down and that when he saw the rings surrounding him. They glowed red like the people around him and circled him like sharks around a dying victim.

Alexander's chanting grew louder and the intensity of the glow increased. Certo groaned and fell to his knees. His right talon twitched and dug into the stone floor. His body felt hot and cold. Like it was on fire but the wind was blowing the heat away as well. Energy burned deep within his body and his blood began to boil. Certo's once royal-blue eyes changed to deep red and his pupils turned to slits. The transformation was numbing to the point where Certo was afraid of losing himself. He let loose a cry as the rings turned a blaze.

Then there was an explosion. and the flames died immediately. The burning in Certo's blood vanished and he was able to move again. His eyes had returned to normal and he stood up and looked around. The monks in the robes had stopped chanting and struggled to raise themselves off the floor. Certo ran over to Maria to help her up.

Suddenly there was another explosion and the wall was blown to dust. A man in shining steal armor leaped high through the hole in wall and cut down three of the monks with one swift slash of his sword. The monks fell dead at his feet. Alexander stopped chanting and turned with a furious glare.

"Kill him! And his followers! They must have infiltrated the fortress!" He shouted. The monks struggled to get to their feet but were so weakened from the summoning ritual they were helpless. Five more men leaped through the hole in the wall and began attacking the defenseless monks. Certo wrapped Maria's arm around his neck and his talon around her waist.

"We have to get out of here." He shouted over the battle yells. One of the intruders formed a ball of fire in his palm and blew the main doors to the chamber off their hinges. Once the doors were gone more of their comrades rushed in to join the slaughter.

Alexander roared and rose higher into the air. His bones began to crack and rearrange themselves as his body began to change. He curled into a ball as a pair of giant black wings covered his body. When they opened Alexander had transformed into a griffin with jet black feathers so dark that light seemed to disappear inside them. He let loose an ear shattering cry and slammed into the floor of the chamber. The impact and rush of wind sent all flying back against the walls. Certo shook his head. He was dizzy but still able to stand. He tried to lift Maria again but she shoved him off.

"No! Go! Leave me! Alexander will take care of me! You have to get out of here. If they get their hands on you, all will be lost!" Certo was hesitant at first. "Go!" Maria ordered more forcefully.

Certo turned towards the doors and ran. The men who had invaded the chamber were slowly coming too. He rushed past them before they could realize what was happening. Down the hallways, past the bodies of slain monks to wherever looked remotely safe. After what seemed like forever, he stopped to catch his breath.

"Where am I going?" He gasped to himself. "I don't know my way around this place at all and I'm just running blindly." Almost as if to answer his question he felt the faint hint of a breeze. He followed to where it had been coming from. All at once he heard voices up ahead. Certo slowed his run to a creeping pace and peeked around the corner. Coming down the hall were soldiers in silver armor and armed to the core with swords, axes, hammers and even guns. The knights were heading his way with several cavaliers in the front wielding swords as long as their own bodies.

Certo ducked back around the corner but one of the men spotted him.

"I saw something! Over there!" He exclaimed and the group of soldiers brandished their swords. The first few charged around the corner and Certo ducked just in time as a blade swung over his head and sparked against the stone wall. Before he could recover the next man swung.

On pure reaction, Certo swung his arm. His talons raked across the soldier's armor; tearing through the metal and the man's flesh and bone. The cavalier cried out in pain and fell to the floor, unable to clutch his bleeding arms. His squad-mates turned with their swords raised but now Certo was on the attack. He clenched his talon into a tight fist and swung as hard as he could. His punch went straight into the first knight and he slammed into the rest of the group sending all of them flying back and across the ground.

Certo took the opportunity to sprint past them. As he looked back over his shoulder, he could see none of them moved. That punch had really done a number on them all.

As he ran down the seemingly endless hallways Certo's attention was caught by a cool breeze. He slowed down and smelled the air; the air was fresh. Certo moved at a much slower pace as he searched for the source of the breeze. All at once he felt the castle shake. Whatever was going on upstairs was far more dangerous than what he was going through. He just hoped the Maria was alright.

After the next corner Certo stopped. He looked around and to his relief found the front gate to the castle. The drawbridge was down and the path was clear. Certo smiled and squinted at the bright light.

Certo ran for the exit but slowly began to decrease his speed as he got closer. Just short of the gate's opening, he stopped. The light still slightly blinded him but he could see a figure coming towards him. All at once Certo felt a chill run down his spine and his blood ran cold.

Up ahead, walking across the bridge was a girl. She had long blue hair sky blue eyes with little slits for pupils. She had red war paint on her cheeks and wore a black vest. Her eyes locked with Certo's and another wave of fear swept through him. Frozen in terror Certo watched as she reached behind her and drew her long katana from its sheath.

"Move." Certo thought to himself, trying to get his legs to move. "This girl will kill you!" At last Certo turned to run. He took one step and suddenly a wall of fire ripped past him on either side and blocked his escape route.

"You won't escape from me." The girl said in a cold voice that made Certo nearly wet himself. The girl leaped high and swung her sword. Certo cried out as he saw the blade come down at him. He wasn't ready to die. He hadn't asked for this.

Certo swung his talon and struck the girl's sword from the side. The girl spun in midair and swung her sword again. This time the blade made contact. Certo screamed clutched at his right shoulder. His talon hung limp at his side, barely able to move.

The girl hit the ground and immediately lunged again. Certo stepped to the side as the blade came down and cut into his thigh. He winced and fell. The girl stood up and swung her sword once. Certo's blood that had been on the blade splattered across the ground. She looked at him with murderous intent.

"Your time is up Imperial."Blue flames burst from her hand and she raised her sword high over her head.

"Why me?" Certo whimpered in his mind. "I never asked for this. I never did anything to anyone. So why me?"

Just then a dark figure seemed to melt out from the wall. It looked like a blob of darkness with a humanoid form that slowly began to take shape. The right arm began to mold into and axe-like blade as it reared up over the girl like a cobra preparing to strike.

"Look out!" Certo shouted. The girl paused and started to turn her head as the figure swung its arm. Certo swept the girl's legs out and her head fell just bellow the blade as it whistled past. She hit the floor and stared with wide eyes at the shadow creature. It bellowed and struck again. Certo grabbed the girl by her vest and yanked her out of the range of the blade. In a flash the sword was a blaze again and she slashed the creature twice; once through its torso and once straight down the middle. The shadow moaned and melted into the floor.

Certo gasped for breath as the girl got up. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He had just saved someone who had moments before tried to murder him in cold blood. No sooner had those thoughts passed through his mind than the girl turned to him with her sword leveled at his face. She raised her sword and Certo's eyes grew wide. Then his muscles relaxed.

"I know I just saved your life. But you Dark Ki are the bad guys after all. So just get it over with." He whispered to himself and turned away from the sword.

The girl looked at him for a second, suddenly unsure of what to do. She sheathed her sword and grabbed Certo by his shirt and yanked him up to her eye level. She had a heated glare that could stop a train in its tracks. She threw Certo over her shoulder and sprinted out of the castle. There was a high pitched howl and suddenly Certo found himself surrounded by blue flames. There was a loud bang and the girl was airborne. She leaped far and landed gracefully on the ground several yards away then leaped again, farther this time.

Certo was uncertain what was going on but was just thankful he was alive for the time being. Back at the castle he saw an explosion blow a hole in one of the towers and five glowing balls of light flew out. The castle really looked ugly from the outside. The orbs flew closer and Certo began to get nervous.

"We're being followed." He reported.

The girl turned in mid air to look back then turned forward before hitting the ground. "They are friends." She replied plainly. Certo looked back at the orbs to see that there were people inside them. All were bloody and wounded. Probably from Alexander. Certo sighed. He hoped the Maria was okay after all that had happened.


	3. Chapter 3

Certo was thrown onto the cold ground with a hard thud.

"Ow! What's the big idea!" He demanded.

"Sit and stay here!" The girl ordered and pointed the tip of her sword at him. "If you move I will hunt you down myself. And I guarantee that you won't like it."

Certo started to rise but a wave of pain ripped through his leg and he fell on his side, gripping his leg and groaning in pain.

The girl smiled. "Guess that takes care of that little issue." She turned and walked back to her camp where she and her five other teammates had met up with an entire group of soldiers. Certo did his best to remain calm in the hands of the enemy. One wrong move and he was sure they would kill him.

"How are you healing?" The girl walked up to Kyle who was busy bandaging himself up.

"My wounds were inflicted by magic so they will take a bit more time to heal. But I wouldn't expect anything more than a couple days." He smiled through his one good eye; the other had blood trickling into it.

"Yeah." The girl nodded. "We were the lucky ones back there."

"Fox!" A gruff voice called from across the camp. Every head turned from the source to the girl. She stood and walked over to a tall, heavily built man with a long beard and a braided pony tail. He had an axe strapped to his back and a shield covering it. The girl was maybe one third his height. "Come with me."

The girl kept the same serious look on her face as she followed him back into a tent. He sat down behind a desk and stared hard at the girl. His golden eyes were almost glowing in the dim light.

"I want you to explain to me what you were thinking when you brought the Imperial back to our base camp. The mission was to go in and kill it in order to stop the Dark Ki from gaining control of its power."

"And I fully intended to do so. But things changed."

"What could be so drastic as to change the outcome of a mission?"

"The Imperial saved my life. Even as I was about to cut him down. He saved me from Shadow."

"Shadow?"

"Yes. The slayer known as Shadow was there. If it were not for the Imperial, I would have died and the mission to keep the Dark Ki from controlling his power would have been a failure."

"The mission was a failure!" The man slammed his hand on the desk and his voice echoed throughout the camp causing everyone to jump. "The mission was to kill it! Not simply take it away from them! If things were that easy we wold have won this war long ago." He rose to his feet. "If you are incapable of carrying out a mission then I will finish the job myself. He drew his axe and was about to walk out of the tent when the girl stepped in front of him. "Fox! You will stand aside or I will have no choice to but to cut you down. I will not have you endanger our world!"

The girl's hair lit up with blue fire and her pupils narrowed. She clenched her fists and embers leaped between her fingers. "I will not let you kill him. if either of us does, it will be me." She hissed and bared her fangs. "I owe him my life and I will repay him. Once I have. I will dispose of him in the proper manner."

"And if the Dark Ki get him back?"

"They won't. But if they get too close, then I will kill him then." The towering grizzly-looking man seemed to relax a bit.

"Then he is your sole responsibility. Do not endanger the rest of the clan. Is that understood?"

"Understood." The fire died down and the girl left the tent. Every head watched as she walked to the edge of the camp to where Certo lay. He was cold and shivering. The girl walked up to him and leered down at him.

"Are you finally going to kill me?" Certo wheezed.

She drew her sword and pointed it at him. "I had not planned on it. But if you are so eager to die then who am I to deny you your last wish." Certo watched as she withdrew he blade. "I should kill you. There's no reason for me not to." Then she sighed heavily. "But you saved my life. And I have to return the favor."

"Don't force yourself. Keeping me around longer will only allow the Knight Casters to get closer to your camp."

The girl cocked her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Duh. You guys are the Dark Ki I've been hearing about and the Knight Casters are out to stop you from taking my powers and using them for evil."

In a flash the girl grabbed Certo up by his shirt and threw him against another tree. She stormed over to him and pressed her foot hard against his chest. "Don't you ever link me to those bastards! I am a Knight Caster! Not some low down Dark Ki." Certo coughed. He was too weak to fight back. "The Dark Ki lied to you. We are the Knight Casters. We are trying to protect our world from the evil they intend to bring down on us all."

"If that were true then why do you want me dead so badly?"

The girl sighed and sat down beside Certo and looked over her blade as it glistened in the moonlight. "You are what is known in our world as the Imperial. The Imperial was a dragon from hundreds of thousands of years ago that managed to reach a certain level of magical status in the World Mage Guild. It was said that the Imperial harnessed such immense power that the very creature itself was thought to have been of a celestial nature. Of course that was speculation because the Imperial eventually died."

"And you think I'm the reincarnation of the Imperial?"

"We know you are." The girl pointed to Certo's wounded talon. But that's not the point. The point is that you are not the first reincarnation of the Imperial."

"I'm not?"

She shook her head. "The war for the Imperial has gone on for thousands of years. After the discovery of its powers the group known as the Dark Ki sought after the source of the Imperial's power. After many failed attempts they began searching for the Imperial itself."

"Its reincarnation anyways."

"Exactly. They figure that if they can't all gain celestial power then they can at least try and manipulate it to their own liking."

"So why does that involve killing me?"

"Shut up. I'm getting there." The girl gave him an irritated look and Certo shut his mouth. "The Dark Ki outnumber us in more ways than can be imagined. There are so many people in our world who are greedy for power and want a piece of what the Dark Ki is after."

"If they really did get my power, then wouldn't that just result in a civil war that would tear them apart? That would make it easier to defeat them."

"It's a possibility. But not one we want to risk. Alexander is by far the strangest sorcerer in our world." She looked Certo in the eyes. "Next to you of course. But as of right now you have no idea how to use your powers. So you're useless."

"Thanks." Certo mumbled and turned away.

"I'm just telling you the truth. No sense getting bent out of shape about it." The girl snapped. "Anyways. We managed to keep the Dark Ki from getting their hands on the power of the Imperial up until about two thousand years ago."

"What happened?"

"Shut up! The Dark Ki managed to lure the reincarnated Imperial to their side and it devastated our world. Most of it is recovering still. A good sixty percent is still damaged."

"Holy crap!" Certo jerked upright and suddenly clutched at his chest in pain.

"We were helpless to stop the Dark Ki then." The girl continued, ignoring Certo. "We had to wait five hundred long years for it to die before rebuilding our rebellion. We lost so many during that era and still so many now." She looked at Certo. "We sent in an entire army and twenty of our best warriors including myself to get you today. Only six of us are alive now."

Certo looked away. He didn't want to be here anymore. He didn't want to be responsible for the deaths of so many people.

"So why do you need to kill the Imperial whenever it arises again?"

"Because when the Imperial is young it has yet to discover its true powers when they are at their strongest. Even when they are young they still are quite powerful but not to the point where it is hard to slay them. We have had to resort to slaying the Imperial at the first sign of its reincarnation to prevent the Dark Ki from finding it. If we didn't we would run the risk of the Imperial turning evil again."

Certo's stomach churned violently. He spun his head away and wretched on the ground. This news was sickening.

"Everything was going fine until the Dark Ki discovered how to create portals to other worlds which is how they found you. They supposedly have been watching you grow up and finally made their move to abduct you from your home."

Certo spat the last of his guts out. "Can you just send me back?"

"It's not that simple." The girl shook her head. "We have little knowledge of portal creation and what we do have is very dangerous to use.

"I see. So I'm stuck here. With no way home. I will never see my friends or family ever again."

"I'm sorry." The girl said and stood up.

"Not that it matters." Certo tried to stand again but fell back down. He hurt and was severely weakened. He grunted but said little more. The girl stared at him for a moment then knelt down almost on top of him. She placed her hands on his chest and leaned in close to his heart. She gave a soft sigh and suddenly the chill left Certo. The burning, blood boiling feeling returned and a wave of energy swept through him. After a long moment the girl got up.

"You're all better." She stated plainly. "Don't make me regret helping you." Certo blinked curiously a couple times and got to his feet. He looked himself over and looked himself over. His wounds were healed but his talon remained alien. The girl turned to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

"But I didn't even get your name!"

The girl stopped. "It's Fox."

"Fox?"

"That's what I said. Fox."

"Why Fox?"

The girl turned around. "Why all the questions! It's just what my fellow Knight Casters call me!"

"But there has to be a reason behind it."

She sighed. "It's because of my beast spirit. You're the Imperial so your spirit is a dragon. Mine is a fox so hence my name is Fox."

"Meh. Fox doesn't suit you." Certo cringed slightly.

"What?"

"Fox is too general of a name for you. It doesn't suit your style."

"Explain yourself!"

"Foxes are small animals. And you aren't that big yourself. But since they are so much smaller than other animals they rely on stealth and cunning a lot. But you have a sense of grace and elegance that even most foxes don't have."

The girl's cheeks turned red and the air around her became warm. "Shut up! What do you know about me?"

"I was just stating an observation." Certo took a step back in case she decided to use her sword again and fell on his butt.

"Well then what would you call me?" She demanded.

Certo thought to himself for a moment. "Kyubi."

"What?"

"It means fox in Japanese. But it sounds more graceful than just Fox."

The redness spread from her cheeks to the rest of her face. "Fine!"

"What you don't like it?"

She turned away. "It's not that I don't."

"Then what?" Certo got to his feet.

"Do as you please. Just stay out of my way." She stormed back to camp leaving Certo with a bewildered and confused look.

"Imperial." Certo heard a whisper in his ear. He stirred in his sleep but did little more to respond. "Imperial. Please wake up."

"Ung..." Certo twitched slightly and cracked one eye. He has laid to rest away from the camp in fear of disturbing one of the Knight Casters and having his life put to a premature end.

"Imperial." The voice sounded like Maria's. Certo sat up and looked around. The midnight air sent cold rush through him. He noticed that he had a blanket covering him so he didn't freeze to death. But how that blanket was so warm, he had no idea.

"Imperial." Maria whispered again.

"Maria?" Certo whispered looking around.

"Yes. It's me."

"Where are you?"

"Look down." Certo looked down at the ground. A small plant that looked like a green rose bud popped out of the earth. Certo watched as the petals opened up just slightly and spoke. "Are you alone?"

"Uh..." Certo was a bit taken back by the talking plant. "Yeah. I am."

"Can you get away?"

"I guess so."

"Okay. Be quiet though. My sources tell me that there are guards still on duty around the camp ground."

"Sources?" Certo thought to himself. He looked around the trees and saw only darkness. He rose to his feet and wrapped the blanket around himself.

"This way." The plant popped out of the ground and sprouted a couple of leaves and began flapping them. The creature flitted off and Certo followed as quickly as he could. He traveled for a good fifteen minutes before the plant zipped ahead to a dark figure standing beside a tree. It landed and disappeared in a green flash. "I'm glad to see you're undamaged." Maria said with a smile. Then the smile disappeared when she looked at Certo's arm. "Your arm is back to normal."

Certo looked at his arm. Indeed it was.

"Have you learned how to control your powers yet?" Maria asked somewhat anxiously.

"I don't think so." Certo shrugged.

Maria grabbed his hand. "We have to get you back to the castle. Before the Knight Casters wake up. So hurry." She turned to leave but Certo didn't move. She looked back at him confused and a bit irritated. "Hurry. We must go." She urged.

"I'm not going." Certo growled.

"What? Why not?" Maria was sounding a bit panicked now.

"I think you know why." Maria saw a look in Certo's eyes that sent a rush of fear through her.

"N-no." She stammered. "Explain."

"You're part of the Dark Ki. You were lying to me from the beginning. You only want my help to destroy this world."

"No." Maria was starting to get restless. "I'm part of..."

"Dark Ki." Certo finished. "You just said so yourself."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did. You said let's go back to the castle before the Knight Casters wake up. You're Dark Ki."

"Well that was just...I...You see..."

"I'm not going to help you destroy lives. Goodbye Maria." Certo turned to walk away. Suddenly he was grabbed. Not by Maria, but by the trees. Their branches reached out and wrapped around Certo with blinding speed. He gasped for air and struggled to free himself but the vines help him fast.

"I'm sorry. But we have worked too hard and come too far to let you just go now." Maria said in an eerie voice. "I would have preferred if you came quietly but it seems that I have no choice but to take you by force."

"Let go of me!" Certo shouted and squeezed tight on one of the branches before ripping it off.

"Aaaaarrrgg!" The tree howled in pain and several of the vines loosened.

"Don't let up you fool!" Another tree growled.

"The insect snapped one of my limbs!"

"Tough it out, you'll grow a new one anyways!"

"Not if I can help it!" A bright blue blaze lit up the night. Certo shielded his eyes from the light and felt an immense heat surround him. The trees began shouting as their limbs were set fire by Kyubi's sword. They released their grip on Certo and he fell hard on the ground. When he opened his eyes Kyubi was standing in front of him, sword tip aimed at Maria's forehead. "You won't dare touch him, if you value your life right now." She hissed.

"And what are you going to do to stop me Knight Caster? You're surrounded." Maria sneered. Certo looked around to see that the forest was moving. Beady yellow eyes leered at him and Kyubi from cracks in the bark. Their branches reached out like spider legs and Certo pressed his back against Kyubi's.

The girl jolted in surprise at being touched. Maria took the split second to strike. Her hand lit up green and she flicked her hand up. Kyubi returned from her distraction in time for a root to burst from the ground impale her through her left shoulder. She cried out in pain and fell to her knees, the root still embedded in her flesh.

"Kyubi!" Certo turned around tried to pull the root out of her. The root jerked and pulled her down towards the ground.

"Leave me!" Kyubi shouted and shoved Certo away. "Get out of here!" As soon as Certo was out of the way more roots burst through the ground and held her down. The trees moved in like hungry lions and curved their branches into claws.

"Kill her." Maria ordered coldly. The trees rustled in eager anticipation of a kill. Their arms raised high and nearly blotted out the moon.

"No!" Certo shouted. The trees stopped. Certo opened his eyes to see their sharp spear-like limbs stopped just inches from his face. He had jumped in front of them to try and stop them from killing Kyubi. Kyubi looked over her shoulder in astonishment. Certo turned to Maria. "I will make you a deal." Maria paused for a moment, then ordered the trees to stand down. "I will do whatever you want. But you have to guarantee that Kyubi won't die."

"What are you doing you idiot!" Kyubi shouted. "They can't get their hands on you! Don't you realize how much is at steak here!"

Certo knelt down in front of her. "I know." He said sadly and took off his school uniform jacket. "I just want to leave you knowing that I value your life. Even though you don't value mine." Kyubi was dumbstruck as Certo put his jacket over her shoulders. "You'll win one day soon." He looked at her wounded shoulder. "I have faith in you."

"No!" Kyubi cried furiously and her haired burned with blue fire. She sent the flames to free her good arm and she grabbed Certo's wrist tight. "I won't let you go! If you leave I will hunt you down and kill you without mercy! It won't be like the last time! I will track you to the ends of the world if I have to!"

Certo smiled and reached for his sleeve. He slid it under Kyubi's nose and leaned in close to her. "Please. Do." The stern, heated fury in Kyubi's eyes disappeared. She was about to say something but Certo just flashed her a faint smile and a wink.

"Enough!" Maria ordered and called Certo's attention back to reality. "Let's go! Now!"

Certo stood up and walked over to Maria. She looked at Kyubi with a look of superiority in her eyes. "Looks like I win again Fox. That makes two for me and one for you." She looked up at Certo. "Although I think this counts as three. See you next time." She raised her glowing arm again and a plant began to grow around her and Certo until it formed a sort of cocoon. It then disappeared beneath the ground and left Kyubi surrounded by the demonic trees. Kyubi watched as the trees moved in on her. All of a sudden they stopped. Their eye slits opened and closed a couple times.

"Are you guys okay?" Kyubi asked now that they had returned to normal.

"What happened?"

"You were under Maria's control. She snuck into your minds and took control while Kyle was weak."

"Are you okay madam?" One of the trees leaned down and plucked Kyubi from the tangle of roots. She winced and clutched at her shoulder. "Allow me to help you."

"I will be fine." Kyubi waved.

"I insist madam." The trees moved a branch to stop her from walking away. Kyubi was too irritated to protest. She stood still and stared at the hole in the earth as the trees surrounded her and lay their blanches over her body. From the once-dead wood sprouted new green leaves. The leaves began to glow and the energy began to seal up Kyubi's wound in her shoulder. When they were done the trees backed away and let the girl work the tension out of her shoulder.

Kyubi walked up to the hole. "I'm going after them. Do any of you know where they went?"

"I felt a tremor heading south." An oak tree reported and pointed a branch in the right direction.

"Thank you. Get back to camp and report to the other Knight Casters what is happening. Tell them they should pack up camp and move out."

"I am here to help madam." The large oak crossed a branch in front of his chest as a sign f respect to the girl. The trees turned towards the campground and lumbered off. Kyubi watched them go before jumping into the hole. She was going to get the Imperial. That was for sure.


	4. Chapter 4

"Master. I have successfully recovered the Imperial as ordered." Maria knelt down on one knee before Alexander.

"So you have." Alexander stepped down from his throne and placed a hand on Maria's head. "You have done well my child."

"Thank you Master." Maria looked from him over to Certo who stood off to himself. The chamber had been magically rebuilt and the monks stood in a circle around them once again.

Alexander moved over to Certo and reached out with an old wrinkled hand with long fingernails the curled into bird-like talons.

"Come now boy. We have a ritual we must perform and we do not want to be interrupted again, do we?"

Certo stepped back and clenched his fists.

"It is inevitable. Please do not make this difficult." Alexander extended his reach even further. Certo glared at the sorcerer and stepped back again. Alexander frowned.

Behind him Certo heard the sound of clothing being ruffled. He turned to see that two of the monks were moving to take hold of him. He grabbed their wrists before they could seize him and spun them around. He twisted their arms and shoved them into Alexander who tossed them away with the flick of a finger.

The other monks closed in on Certo.

"You may be the Imperial." Alexander spoke in a calm voice. "But you are merely a boy. Incapable of harnessing the true power of the Imperial himself. That ability is strictly mine alone.

Certo felt his body temperature rise. His clenched fists then opened up and her curled his fingers into claws. The closer the monks got the more he felt pressure swell up inside of him. All at once he couldn't take the intensity of it and yelled out loud to keep them back. There was a loud roar and a sudden gust of wind blew throughout the chamber. The monks shielded themselves and shrank back a couple steps. Certo's pupils turned to slits and his fangs grew slightly longer and sharper than normal. The freckles on his nose and cheeks turned to scales that glistened in the candlelight.

"Impossible." Maria gasped in astonishment.

"It seems that he has learned to call forth his beast spirit." Alexander stated, still calm.

The monks now had gotten their bearings and closed in on Certo. He hissed and slammed the back of his left talon into one and sent him sprawling across the floor. Three more attacked from the other side. Certo swung as hard as he could and knocked down a large cluster of them. The standing monks paused.

"Seize him you fools! Now!" Alexander bellowed.

Certo bared his fangs as the monks closed in around him. He swung his left talon and ripped through one of the monks. The robe fell in a heap in the middle of the floor. Certo whirled around and ripped through four more monks. Soon the floor was littered with tattered robes. Certo paused and looked around him. He was breathing heavily and sweating hard. Only Alexander remained.

Still in his berserker rage, he took a step towards the sorcerer. Immediately one of the ripped robes sprang to life and wrapped around his leg. Certo jerked in surprise and tore the cloth from his leg. as soon as the cloth fell another leaped up and latched onto his back. Certo whirled around to try and rip it off but it was at an angle his talons couldn't reach. As he tried to tear that one off another leached on. And another, and another. Soon Certo was being overwhelmed and weighed down by all the garments attempting to subdue him.

"Master." Maria walked up next to Alexander. "Perhaps now would be a wise time to begin the ceremony while he is unable to move."

"Yes. Perhaps." Alexander was clearly pondering something to himself. "But I am also curious as to how far this boy can extend his powers before reaching his limit."

Certo's eyes turned from being a bright royal blue to blood red. "_That will be the biggest mistake you will ever have the chance to make._" Certo growled. His blood was burning and his clothes felt tight. There were three loud rips as Certo's shoes shredded and his pants split. His feet changed to talons that resembled his arms and a long whip-like tail sprouted from his spine. The wind swirled around him and with a loud roar, Certo burst free from the robes, turning them into lumps piles thread.

Certo turned his gaze to the ceiling and jumped straight up. The monks fled from the rafters as the half-human half-dragon grabbed onto the wooden pylons. Certo swatted a beam and the wood splintered and the shards peppered the monks. They cried out and fell hard on the stone floor and didn't move. The long whipping tail smashed through the rafters and brought the entire ceiling crashing down. The monks were crushed beneath the wood and stone but Alexander and Maria remained untouched by a barrier. The sorcerer waited for the dust to clear. Certo had dug onto a wall to avoid getting hit by most of the falling debris.

"Maria, I want you to test out the boy's power."

"Master?" Maria looked up at him a little uncertain.

"I trust you will not kill him. Now go."

"Y-yes Master." Maria swallowed hard. She stepped out of the barrier and watched as Certo eyed her with killing eyes. She stopped and her hands began to glow green and she fired a bolt of green lightning. Certo dodged and dropped to the floor crushing the stones beneath his feet. The shock-wave shook the floor and Maria stumbled to get her footing.

While she was off balance, Certo thrust his talons forward and blast of wind sent Maria flying back against Alexander's barrier. Maria shook the stars from her head and staggered to her feet. When she looked up Certo towered over her. The girl paused, unsure of what to do. At last she summoned up enough courage to raise her hand and Certo swatter her. Maria screamed and slammed against the far wall. She hit the ground and was berried beneath the crumbling rocks.

Alexander lowered his barrier and Certo looked up at him. "Very well boy. You may fight me next."

Without missing a beat Certo roared and lashed out at Alexander. The sorcerer dodged as the talons whisked past his face. Certo spun around and swung again. Alexander dodged again. Certo slashed with his talons again. Alexander jumped back and Certo grabbed him with his tail. He yanked Alexander in towards him and kicked him in the chest as hard as he could. The sorcerer flew backwards and smashed into his throne. He shook his head as he got up and Certo leaped high. Alexander rolled out of the way as Certo plunged his foot into the stone floor. He raked his foot through the stone and sent a shower of jagged stone at Alexander. Alexander threw up a barrier spell and deflected the rocks before firing the barrier. Certo whirled around and slammed his tail into the wall of magic energy, dispelling it.

Alexander was awestruck at Certo's prowess. As he looked the boy over he noticed that blood dripped from his talons. No one had touched him yet he was bleeding. That's when the sorcerer felt the drop trickle down his cheek. He reached up and slid his fingers along the side of his face. He was bleeding. Five red lines marked the left side of his face. Certo sighed heavily, sending the wind in the room into a gust that caused the cuts to sting Alexander's face. Not only his however, but the rest of his body burned as well. Alexander looked himself over to find that his garments has been torn and were stained with blood. He had no idea how Certo had done it but he had made him bleed.

An angry frown spread across his face. "Game's over." A pair of black wings burst from beneath his garments and covered the open ceiling. Alexander began to grow in size and feathers sprouted out all over his body. His face extruded into a hooked beak and his forearms turned to eagle claws. He unleashed an ear piercing scream and Certo's cry was drowned out by the noise. He fell to his knees and clutched at his bleeding ears. Alexander snatched Certo up in his talons and hurled him through the wall. Certo's body bounced across the rocks and slammed up against the wall.

Alexander picked Certo's bruised and bloody body off the floor and proceeded to crush him against the wall. Certo struggled to scream but the air was being squeezed out of his body. At last his red eyes changed back to their normal blue before rolling back into his head. Then he lost consciousness and went limp. Alexander was breathing heavily as he stared hard at Certo.

"To think that this boy actually reached into his power this much without any previous instruction." He paused for a moment. "Perhaps I was mistaken about him. He may be the Cel..." He was interrupted as Kyubi suddenly appeared out of the shadows and cut straight through Alexander's talon that had Certo pinned against the wall.

The black griffin screeched in pain and reared back. Kyubi caught Certo's body before he hit the floor took off running down the hall. The bellowing echoed down the halls as she sprinted in and out of the long corridors. At last she arrived at an open door.

"Here we are." She whispered to herself and set Certo down on the floor. She rushed over to a spell circle in the middle of the room. She rubbed her hands together and then extended her arms out in front of her. She faced her palms down and fire erupted around the circle. As the fire blazed a bolt of lightning snapped across the room. Then another until the electric energy was everywhere. After a moment of extreme concentration Kyubi focused the lightning into a a sphere in the middle of the circle. The crackling of bolts hurt her ears but she ignored it. She rushed back to Certo and grabbed him up again. She staggered towards the ball of lightning. The consumption of magical energy was beginning to take a toll on her. If she didn't make it to the center of the circle then there would be no stopping Alexander from taking Certo back and killing her.

An angry roar brought her mind back to high alert. She made it to the cluster of electric energy and extended Certo's now-human hand. The lightning engulfed him and he disappeared in a flash. The floor began to shake as Alexander tore through the halls. Kyubi reached back for the lightning and the flames intensified. The lightning surrounded her and in a brilliant flash, she vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

Certo groaned. His whole body ached.

"Certo?" It was JT's voice. "Certo, are you awake?"

Certo tilted his head slightly and a stabbing pain ripped through his body. He cringed and managed to lift an eyelid.

"Thank god! You're awake." JT gasped.

"JT?" Certo mumbled. "What's going on? Where in bloody hell am I?"

"Just relax buddy." JT placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. Certo winced again and JT removed his hand. "You've had a long week."

"Week? What?"

JT cocked his head. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"You were missing for over three days. No one knew where you were. We were all worried sick about you."

"I was?"

JT sighed. "Nerene said that you walked her home. But the next day she found your cell phone on the ground but it had blood stains all around it. She called the police and everyone on school to help search for you."

"And my parents?"

"They haven't responded."

"I see." Certo's heart sank.

"Don't worry. You've still got us." JT smiled.

"How did I get here?"

"You were found in the park about five days ago. Someone supposedly put your body out on a park bench and the next person to pass you called for help."

"I don't remember anything. I remember heading back from walking Nerene home, then. . . nothing."

JT just watched as his best friend lay in the bed staring up at the ceiling. He was clearly worried but his attention was grabbed by voices coming from down the hall. He got up and poked his head out of the room. "Hey guys! He's awake!" He called to his sister, Shin and Nerene.

"He is!" Miumi exclaimed and burst into the room. She stopped Shin and Nerene before they entered. Certo looked over at them with great effort. Slowly his friends walked up beside him and JT moved to the side.

"Hey. What's up mate's." He wheezed weakly.

"We are you dope." Miumi was almost crying. "We were scared that something awful had happened to you."

"What happened to you?" Shin asked.

"He doesn't remember." JT replied,sparing his friend from having to think about the incident.

"As long as you're safe." Nerene whispered and knelt down beside Miumi. "That's all that matters."

"Thanks." Certo's voice fell even lower. "What do I look like?"

"What do you mean?" Miumi asked.

"What do I look like?"

"You look like hell for one." Shin started and Nerene gave him a look. Shin ignored it. "You've got cuts and bruises all over you. Almost as if you were in a knife fight or run over or something. You've got a couple of fractures in your arms and legs as well as some broken ribs. And to top all that off, you have a major concussion, but nothing that the doctor says you won't recover from."

"Hm." Certo pondered for a moment. "Let me see."

His friends looked at each other. Miumi walked around to the other side of the bed. Nerene reached out and slid her hand behind Certo's head and Miumi gently placed her arm under Certo's upper back. Slowly they lifted him up. Certo's body felt like there was an earthquake shaking throughout his body. Nerene used her free arm to pull the sheets away and exposed Certo's body. He had braces and casts around his arms, legs and torso. What little skin was exposed was badly bruised.

"Thank you." Certo moaned. "I'm going to stop being awake now."

"Wait Certo..." Miumi started but Certo went limp. "Certo?"

"It's okay. Let him rest." Nerene said and they laid him back down.

"We should get going ourselves." Shin reported. "We have school in the morning."

"I suppose so." Miumi sighed as she watched her friend sleeping peacefully. The students all filed out of the room. Miumi was the last to leave. She looked back at Certo and smiled softly. "Sleep well." She whispered and clicked off the light.

A wave of pain swept through Certo and woke him up. He groaned and gritted his teeth while he waited for the pain to subside. When it had finally died down he opened his eyes. The hospital room was dark and quiet but he could see just as if it were daylight out. Standing over him was a girl with blue eyes and long blue hair that seemed to glow in the darkness.

"Who are you?" Certo asked weakly. He wanted to sit up but couldn't in his condition. The girl remained silent. She walked up next to the bed and crawled onto the sheets so that she was straddling just over Certo's stomach. Certo's eyes grew wide as her face stopped within a few inches of his. "H-hey." He wheezed. "What are you...?"

The girl silenced him with a finger.

"I erased your memories from the past week." She whispered. "I did not know how much you would truly forget because I was so weak at the time. But I can't protect you if you have no idea what's going on. So be still and be quiet." She leaned in closer and pressed her forehead to his. Certo immediately turned red in the face. "Calm down." The girl said.

"I...uh...I..." Certo stammered.

"I said calm down!" The girl ordered more forcefully. She placed her hands on his shoulders and dug her nails into them. "If you're not calm then you won't get all of your memories back."

"Uh! Okay...I will try..." Certo gasped. He settled back into the mattress as the nails dug into his flesh. They hurt but not as bad as the rest of his body.

All at once his body felt hot and brilliant blue flame sparked from the girl's forehead. Certo was almost tempted to jump but he was to sore to move. He watched as the flames surrounded him and the girl. His blood boiled and he felt a new life swell up within him. The flames intensified and Certo's eyes grew wide. In a flash he saw it all. The attack on the streets. The attack on the Dark Ki. The fight with this girl. How he had been taken away by her and taken back by the Dark Ki in order to save her life. The fight with the griffin sorcerer Alexander.

"Kyubi?" Certo groaned.

She smiled slightly. "Good you remember."

"Yeah. I do." Certo wanted to sit up but another wave of pain swept through him. "Why did you feel the need to erase my memories?"

"If it weren't for the Dark Ki, you would have lead an ordinary life. They interfered and threw your life into turmoil. And I was trying to fix the damage that was done."

"I see. Thank you for being considerate." Certo smiled. "No one besides my friends has cared about me to that extent before."

"It's not a big deal." Kyubi moved off of Certo and stood beside him. "I do what I feel is needed as a Knight Caster."

"Speaking of which." Certo forced himself to sit upright. He clutched at his broken ribs and spoke through gritted teeth. "The last thing I remember was fighting Alexander. How did I get back home. And how did you get here?"

"After Alexander defeated you I got him with a surprise attack. While he was distracted by his injury I took you to the place where they had extracted you from your world. It took every bit of magical energy I had to open the portal. It appears that in order to open a portal to another world requires a lot of magical power. And it took almost all of mine. But I sent you through first and followed after I made sure you were safe."

"You didn't stay behind?"

"If I did I would have been killed by Alexander for sure. And it would have been useless to send you home without some sort of protection. If the Dark Ki were able to abduct you that first time, then they can just as easily do it again. And if you were alone, what would you do then?"

"I see your point. Well, thank you." He looked down at her feet. "I guess this means we're even in terms of who saved whose life."

"No. I still owe you."

"What?" Certo looked up to see Kyubi staring out the window.

"You saved my life twice. Back in the forest when Maria could have killed me then, you stepped in and saved me again." She stared hard at Certo. "I don't like having to owe anyone anything. But I have a personal code of honor to repay any favor done for me."

"So when you pay me back for this too are you going to try and kill me again?"

"Like I said. I do what I have to as a Knight Caster."

"Hm." Certo sighed and turned to stand up. The linoleum was cold against his bare feet. He tried to rise and his knees gave out. Kyubi caught him just before he hit the floor.

"Take it easy. Your wounds are physical so they may take a bit more time to heal completely." She set him back down on the bed and forced him to stretched out across the length of the mattress. Certo did as instructed and relaxed as he watched her. Kyubi extended her arms and placed her hands on his chest and let her ear come to rest over his heart. Suddenly a wave of energy swept through his body. His blood boiled and his arms and legs went numb for a brief moment. After a minute Kyubi stood up. "How do you feel?"

Certo sat up and without so much as a wince. He extended his arms and flexed his legs. "I feel great. Better than usual."

"Good. I need to you to be at full strength if the Dark Ki make an attack."

"Oh, was that the reason?"

"Yes. If I have to spend every minute protecting you then I won't be able to protect myself. Then what good will that do?" Certo sighed. "Get some rest. I will be back to keep an eye on you later."

"Okay..." Certo muttered and watched as Kyubi opened the window and leaped out over the trees. He got up and closed the window. The night air was slightly warm and he took a moment to breath it in. "He felt that Kyubi had good intentions but what really worried him was for how long would she be able to go on protecting him against the Dark Ki. He sighed heavily again and climbed back into his bed.

JT and Miumi walked into their classroom to see a crowd of people grouped around the window.

"Hey, what's going on?" JT asked one of the students.

"You don't know? Certo's back."

"Well yeah. But he's still in the hospital." Miumi replied.

"No he's not. He's right here." Another girl retorted and their classmates spread out. Sure enough, Certo was seated in his usual seat next to the window.

"Holy crap!" JT exclaimed. "Certo! What are you doing here?"

"Yeah! You should be at the hospital resting."

"I got the green light to come to school." Certo answered. "I feel like a million bucks right now and I don't have any more injuries to speak of, so they let me go."

"Are you serious?" JT gaped with wide eyes at his friend.

"I feel fine so it's all good to me." Certo shrugged.

"Okay class, settle down." Ms. Yamato called as she entered the room. "We are all happy Certo is back and feeling fine, but we still have class to attend to. The students did as they were told. Ms. Yamato went on with the lecture and the day proceeded as usual.

At last P.E. came about and the students went to get changed. This was Certo's last class of the day and he was glad to see it was almost over. Once out on the field Certo found himself staring around the crowd of his classmates. Girls were busy playing softball while the guys gathered on the soccer field. The whistle blew and Certo took off. He was normally played midfielder due to his extreme speed and stamina.

The opposing team pushed forward once they saw him bolt towards the ball. Without thinking dashed in front of JT and dribbled off with the ball. His teammates stared in wide-eyed shock at how fast he had gotten to the front of the formation. The center on the other team moved to stop him. Certo spun on the ball of his foot and took the ball with him. The wing-men closed in. Certo leaped over their slide tackles and kicked the ball behind him and up over his shoulder. The midfielders were finally awake and ran forward. Certo caught the ball on his head and spun around the first attacker. He juggled the ball back over the next ones head and strafed his movements. He caught the ball on his foot and twisted behind the next two defenders. Certo pooped the ball over the next player's head and zipped in behind him and fired into the goal. The goalie stared in shock as the ball stretched the net back nearly to the point of breaking. Every head on the field stared in shock as Certo walked back to his starting position.

"What in god's name was that?" JT gasped as he shook his head as he and Miumi walked home.

"What exactly happened?" Miumi asked.

"Well, first Certo is back at school with little to no sign of injury after he could barely sit up last night. And during P.E. he scored fifty-three points in soccer. The teacher had to call it quits on account of mercy for the other team."

"Ouch." Miumi cringed. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. I bet Certo's just restless from being cooped up in the hospital for so long."

"I suppose you're right." JT sighed. " I just hope this doesn't keep up for too long."

Meanwhile back at the school, Certo stayed on the track. He was sweating and panting heavily. He had waited until everyone was gone before going back to work. He was feeling numb all over. He was confused about the sudden burst of energy he had experienced during class.

"That's never happened to me before." He thought to himself. The feeling of his skin crawling was beginning to overwhelm him. He tapped his toe slightly until he couldn't take the sensation anymore. There was a loud bang as he sprinted from his crouched position. He leaned his upped body low to the ground, under the wind as he sprinted around the track. He glanced at his stopwatch as he passed his starting position. "One quarter mile in less than thirty seconds." He kept running. "I can't remember that last time running felt this good."

As he came around the bend for the third time he looked ahead at the fence on the far side of the track. "If Kyubi can, then maybe..." He charged and leaped high. The fence was easily twenty feet high and he cleared it with room to spare. The wind rushing past him felt cool and refreshing. He landed almost silently on the ground and turned to stare up at the fence. "All of this is still pretty new to me. But it's still just as amazing to think about it."

From out of nowhere a bolt of lightning struck the ground beside him. Certo froze.

"I found you!" A little voice called.

Certo looked up to see a little girl floating in the air. She had pure white hair and light blue eyes and donned a red robe like the monks that followed under Alexander.

"Dark Ki." Certo whispered.

"You are to come with me Imperial. And I beg you, do not make it hard on yourself. Master will be very upset if you are to become damaged."

"Then get lost!" The girl turned her head and jerked back as Kyubi flew by her.

"Kyubi? What are you doing here?" Certo moved over to her.

"Protecting you of course." She put herself between Certo and the girl.

"You bitch!" Certo then realized that the girl now had a long slash across her face.

"Oh spare me the talk Sara." Kyubi pointed her sword at her. "You know better than to challenge me."

"I am on a special mission from Master Alexander." Sara hissed. "You do not want to stand in my way right now."

Kyubi smirked. "Then come at me if you dare."

"Fine!" Sara suddenly became shrouded in electric energy. Her magical energy rose up and reared into the form of a viper.

"Move!" Kyubi shouted and grabbed Certo by his P.E. shirt. She leaped to the side and yanked him with her as the lightning struck the ground with a loud crash. Kyubi tossed Certo aside and lunged for Sara. The serpent struck again and Kyubi shrouded herself in her blue fire. The lightning swept over her and crackled all around Certo.

"I must have that boy!"

"Who are you calling boy!" Certo snapped and stood up. He gritted his teeth and clenched his talons tight. Kyubi and Sara both looked at him in surprise. Certo's pupils narrowed into slits and his shoes ripped as his dragon feet began to form.

"Wow. The power of the Imperial." Sara gasped. "It truly is spectacular."

"Too bad that's all you'll get to see." Kyubi sprang forward and slashed with her sword. Sara very narrowly dodged the attack and Kyubi spun around and swung again. Sara shrank back and her spirit reared back to strike again. All of a sudden she spotted something coming at her out of the corner of her eye. Sara turned and prepared to fire a bolt of lightning but stopped cold. Certo let loose an angry roar and raked his talons across her robes. Sara screamed in pain and

her magic dissipated. She and Certo hit the ground and Certo tore his claws through the air and through the dark sorceress. Sara's screams reached a high pitch and suddenly died as her spirit died with her. Her body began to glow and she soon disappeared.

Certo stood upright on his hind legs and wobbled on his oddly bent knees. He watched as the last trails of light left from Sara's spirit lifted away into the sky. He turned to look back at Kyubi and was surprised to see a fist fly right at him.

"You idiot!" She shouted furiously. She stood over Certo who was clutching at his face and trying to control his bleeding nose. "Do you have any idea what you are doing? You nearly cost us your life! You have no idea how to fight or use your magic powers for that matter! If the Dark Ki were to capture you because you were careless then everything in this world and mine would perish! And it would be all your fault!"

Certo felt a stab in his heart. He rose to his feet and looked down at Kyubi who was less than an inch from his nose.

"Do you have any reason why you would take such a risk and sacrifice millions of innocent souls to their wrath? If you have a good reason then I want to hear it now!"

Certo's shoulders slumped. He didn't want to look her in the eye but couldn't help from doing so. "I only wanted to help you." With that he turned away from her. As he did, a single tear and a drop of blood fell onto Kyubi's cheek. She suddenly felt a jolt and watched as Certo leaped back over the fence and head home. In those two drops of liquid she had felt his intentions and immediately felt a sense of remorse. The embers in her hair died down and she sheathed her sword.

At his apartment Certo stood in front of the mirror. He hadn't changed out of his P.E. clothes and his white shirt was soaked with blood. Blood was still trickling from his nose, down his chin and plopping into the sink. He watched as the droplets diluted in the water and vanished down the drain.

"Why am I never of any use to anyone?" He sighed. "Why am I so valuable but still so useless? I'm just a tool to everyone." Then he thought of Kyubi. "Or an inanimate object." He suddenly felt very sick and collapsed on the linoleum floor. "No one would miss me if I just went to sleep here and never woke up again. I'm not good to the world anyways so I will be doing it a favor." He curled up into a ball and looked at his talons. The scales were black but seemed to shine a sad blue glow. Certo closed his eyes and let the darkness take over.

"Certo."

Certo could hear his name being called to him.

"Certo?"

The voice was familiar.

"Certo!"

It sounded like Kyubi.

"Certo!"

He felt a presence touch him.

"Certo wake up!"

Certo's eyelids twitched and slowly opened. The person hovering over him was blurry and he had to blink several times to clear his vision. Kyubi was leaning over him with a worried look on her face. Her head blocked the light from the ceiling which gave her figure a sort of gentle glow. He hair was draped around her head and seemed to form a curtain around Certo.

"Kyubi? What are you doing here?" Certo mumbled, the irritation in his voice barely audible.

"I came to apologize." Kyubi sighed. "I shouldn't have treated you the way I did earlier."

"Hmph!" Certo snorted and tried to roll away from her but Kyubi held him fast.

"Please listen. It was wrong of me. I realize that. I want you to forgive me and listen to a proposal I have for you."

"Why would you have a proposal for me? So far I have been nothing but trouble to you."

"I'm sorry." Kyubi placed her forehead to Certo's. Immediately Certo's eyes grew wide and he suddenly felt what Kyubi had felt as he had been walking away and what she was feeling now. The shame of hurting an innocent person, the regret, and the desire to make things right.

Kyubi pulled away a bit and for a brief moment the two stared into each other's eyes. Kyubi's eyes seemed to glow a light blue. "If you really want to help, then I will allow you to do so. But on one condition." Certo remained silent. "I will train you and you are to do exactly as I tell you. Understand? Lives are at steak and we can't afford any screw ups."

"Understood." Certo sighed and slowly got to his feet. He turned the hot water on and washed the blood from his face and tossed his bloody shirt into the wash. Kyubi looked him over as he kicked his shoes and socks off and got into bed. Certo looked over at her after a minute. He raised his arm and opened the sheets. "Here. You can share with me." Kyubi was about to protest. "I wouldn't feel right having someone who is supposed to be watching over me and away from home sleep anywhere else. At least it will be warm."

Kyubi sighed and nodded approvingly. "Very well. I accept." She unbuckled her belt and slipped out of her skirt and took off her jacket. Certo immediately saw that she wore nothing underneath her vest and averted his gaze. He slid over to give her room in the bed and rolled his back to her. His heart pounded as he felt the pressure of her on his bed. Then her bare back touched his and he slightly jumped.

"Goodnight." Kyubi whispered and Certo felt relieved that she hadn't paid attention to his sudden jumpiness.

"Goodnight." Certo whispered back and then added. "Thank you, Kyubi."


	6. Chapter 6

"Does everyone have their assignments ready for presentation?" Ms Yamato asked as she set her bag down beside her desk.

"Yes ma'am." The class answered in unison. It was creative writing and it was a Friday before a three-day weekend.

Everyone was nervous about their assignments. Everyone except Certo.

"Who would like to present first?"

The class looked around.

"I'll go!" Certo barked and everyone jumped in alarm.

"Very well Certo." Ms. Yamato agreed. "Please come to the front."

"Right oh mate." Certo chirped and seemed to almost float to the front of the room.

"What is the name of your story?" Ms. Yamato asked as she pulled out a grading sheet.

"I call it 'Kyubi and the Imperial.'"

"When you are ready you may go ahead."

"My pleasure." Certo beamed with pride and seemed to almost glow.

The class listened in an almost trance-like state as Certo went about reading his story. Even Ms. Yamato seemed deeply captivated by the tale of the Imperial dragon and the conflict between the Dark Ki and the Heroic Knight Casters. When he was done Certo looked up. Every eye was on him. His classmates were all leaning forward with their mouths open in awe. Certo then looked at Ms. Yamato who shook herself awake.

"Oh my." She yawned and rubbed her eyes under her glasses. "That was a very good story Certo. I would give it an A+."

"An A+?" Shin coughed. "I think he should publish a story like that." The class mumbled in agreement.

"Oh. I was just having fun with it." Certo chuckled and blushed mildly as he walked back to his seat.

From the back Nerene watched him with a concerned expression on her face. Certo had been acting differently for the last several weeks and she was concerned about him. Ever since he had come back he had been excelling tremendously at everything he did. His grades had skyrocketed, his improvement in P.E. was almost considered dangerous.

When the last bell for the day range and the students headed in from P.E. Nerene pulled Certo aside. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure, what's up?" Certo asked a bit taken back by her suddenness.

"Have you been feeling okay lately?"

"I've been great." Certo nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Well I was just curious. You haven't been yourself since your recovery a couple months ago. You seem different. Almost happy."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Well no. Not at all. I have just been noticing your changes a lot and was curious."

"I have never felt better in my life." Certo smiled from ear to ear.

"Okay. I just wanted to be sure." Nerene smiled softly and watched as he went back to running laps around the track. She truly was happy for him but deep down she had a sense of dread. That something bad might happen to him soon. She wanted to mention to him that he had been coming to school with very visible bruises on his body but he seemed so insistent that he was doing fine that she couldn't bring herself to do so. She left for the locker room and got changed. When she walked out of the school to head home she looked back over at the track. Certo was nowhere to be seen. Nerene sighed and went home.

"Okay Certo let's try again." Kyubi said and raised her fists. "I want you to feel my energy out and defend against it."

"Like we've been doing for the past month." Certo nodded anxiously.

Kyubi threw a fast punch and Certo dodged. "You're getting better, I will admit that." She pressed forward more and Certo adroitly averted her attack. "But you can't get over confident in a battle."

"Understood." This was Certo's answer for when he was taking his lesson seriously. Suddenly Kyubi sprang forward and Certo jumped out of the way as her foot whisked past his head. Kyubi spun around and whipped her leg around. Certo bent back and the kick passed over him. As he leaned back up Kyubi had a hook waiting for him. Certo angled his head in and head butted Kyubi. She staggered back and shook the stars and checkers out of her head.

"Are you okay?"Certo gasped and moved towards her to see if she was okay. He was answered with a palm strike to his chest. He flew back and rolled across the hard ground.

"Don't stop you idiot! This is a fight not a sparring match! The enemy will not wait to see if you are okay to continue fighting. Do not give them the same courtesy!"

"Understood." Certo coughed and wiped the blood trickling down his cheek. There was a faint burn mark on his chest from Kyubi using her fire element spirit. "Perhaps I should get a bit more serious."

"By all means." Kyubi smiled and cracked her knuckles.

"Here I come!" Certo charged forward and leaped high. Kyubi intercepted him in mid air. She grabbed his arm and hurled him hard into the ground. Certo shook his head as he got up and jumped back as Kyubi slammed her fist into the ground. She looked up and winced at the blinding light of the setting sun. The next thing she knew she received a kick to the ribs and tumbled head over heals down the hill. Kyubi hopped up as Certo shot beneath her in a slide-tackle maneuver.

"He's getting better." Kyubi thought to herself as she looked over her shoulder. Just then her eyes widened as she watched Certo place the butt of his palms together. Suddenly a gust of wind blew her away before she could hit the ground. Certo sprang after her and threw a kick. Kyubi caught his leg and punched him back down to earth. Certo landed on his back and gagged on his own blood.

Kyubi landed and drew her sword. Certo watched as the flames of her spirit surrounded her and focused around her sword.

"You've passed stage four." She said almost in a machine-like tone. "Now comes stage five. Magic combined with armed combat."

Certo panted a couple times, out of breath. Then he stood upright. He drew his hands in with his palms up. He raised his hands as he took in a deep breath then flipped them back down as he exhaled. His power replenished and his second wind acquired. He was ready. He took a light stance and curled his now dragon talons in and his foot talons raked through the dirt. His pupils narrowed into slits and he leered at Kyubi.

The girl flew forward and cut straight down. Certo flinched and hit Kyubi with another blast of hot air. She was thrown back but not without leaving Certo with a burn mark on his arm scales. Her feet skid across the ground and she came to a standing halt. Certo winced at the burn but kept his talons ready to strike at any moment.

Kyubi sighed and sheathed her sword. "That will be all for sparring today." She said.

"What? But I can keep going." Certo protested. "I'm not tired at all."

"That isn't the point." Kyubi snapped. "You have something else to learn right now."

"I do?"

"Always." Kyubi walked up and took Certo's burned arm in her hand. The mark had melted several of his scales together in a disgusting mesh rather than the soft smooth pattern of black scales.

"A true master of magic wouldn't have been wounded by a simple attack like that."

"Thanks." Certo's shoulders slumped slightly.

"I'm only speaking the truth Certo. If you want to live and help stop the Dark Ki then you need to face reality." She looked up at him and her eyes blazed. "Life is not as sweet as most people might think."

"Tell me about it."

Kyubi drew her sword again and her flames burned around the blade.

"Hold your arm up." She ordered. Certo did as he was told. "Now I want you to focus. Visualize a barrier around your arm. If you focus enough then there will be very little that will be able penetrate it."

"Okay. I will try." Certo took in a deep breath and felt a tingle on his arm. Kyubi watched as a faint blue aura formed around Certo's burned arm. She moved her sword closer and the flames rolled around the barrier.

"Good." Kyubi nodded with satisfaction. "The next step will be to apply this skill during active combat."

Certo sighed. He was nervous about the comment of active combat. He took another deep breath and exhaled. The barrier expanded and the flames retreated back.

"Careful." Kyubi warned. "You don't want to over do it tonight. Let's stop for now and continue tomorrow morning."

"If you insist." The barrier vanished and Certo walked back to the bench in the park. His dragon talons reverted back to their normal human form and he slipped his shoes on. After the first three times he figured that it would be cheaper to take his shoes off before training with Kyubi.

"Now practice healing yourself." Kyubi said and stood back as Certo hovered his hand over the burn. The heat increased around the area and felt cooler a moment later. The discolored skin grew dead and white and began to crust over. After a minute the tingling stopped and he pealed the dead skin off leaving a slight discoloration on his arm. Kyubi took hold of his hand and examined his work. She bobbed her head slightly in approval.

"Have I gotten better?"

"Indeed. I'm still amazed that you have made so much progress in such a short time."

Certo's cheeks flushed slightly. "Thank you. I like to think it's because I have a great teacher."

Now it was Kyubi's turn to blush. Her hair burned fiery blue and her eyes blazed. "Shut up!" She snapped and let go of Certo's hand. She turned away and started walking away. "Come on. Let's go home."

Certo scratched his head and followed close. "Sounds fine to me."

"Morning mates." Certo waved as he walked into the classroom the next day.

"Hey Certo." JT nodded. "What's up?"

"Not much. Just another regular day at school."

"I hear that." JT chuckled.

The day passed as normal. When P.E. came around the students got changed and met out of the track. It was physical fitness day and most of the students groaned with irritation. As their instructor went on through each exercise, it was soon learned that Certo was going to be the last to finish at each station.

Nerene was watching closely once the class had moved on to the weight lifting station. Most of the boys in the class had been able to lift over two hundred pounds with three reps. Now they all stood around watching Certo in amazement as he benched five-hundred pounds with ease.

"Was Certo always that strong?" Shin whispered in her ear.

"I'm not sure." Nerene whispered back. "If he was we never saw it until now."

"More." Certo insisted as he set the bar back to its resting place. JT and another boy added another fifty pounds to the bar. They were certain that Certo wouldn't be able to move it much at all. Their jaws dropped as Certo lifted the bar with nothing more than a grunt. He did ten reps and suddenly his right arm gave way. His elbow bent and the weights shifted sides.

The class jumped in alarm but Certo was able to gain control of the bar before everything crashed to the floor. JT and Shin grabbed the bar and helped Certo put it up before stacking the weights away.

"Jesus christ Certo!" Shin gasped as he hefted the weights away. "Don't overdo it too much. You'll end up hurting yourself again."

"I was fine." Certo insisted. "I just felt something sharp stab my arm."

"Let me see." Nerene took Certo's hands and eyed his bare arms. Her eyes came to rest on the slightly discolored burn mark on Certo's right arm. "Certo what happened here!"

"Oh, I kinda burned myself last night cooking. It's really not as bad as it looks. It took me a minute to realize what had even happened."

Before Nerene could reply to his lie their instructor ordered them all to get changed as class time came to an end.

"I'm worried about Certo." Nerene said as she and Shin walked off campus.

"He said that was just a burn. It happens to the best of us." Shin replied.

"It's not just the burn!" Nerene protested more forcefully. "He's changed! You've heard the stories going around school! He's been excelling in every aspect of his academics! And his physical demeanor has been bothering me too. Whenever I look at him he has bruises, cuts and even a burn today."

"Hm." Shin pondered her words. "Now that I think about it he does seem to be changing since that incident a couple months ago. I have seen him changing for P.E. and be covered with band-aids and bandages. I didn't think anything of it but you may be right."

"I think something is wrong with him. He may be hurting himself."

"Jesse doesn't strike me as the type to mutilate himself Nerene."

"I don't think he'd do that either. But you've heard about his family situation. His parents have no time for him and he lives alone here. He may be becoming seriously lonely and depressed."

"I think that is still stretching it a bit." Shin sighed.

"I don't. Come. I want you to come with me."

"Hey what!" Shin nearly choked as Nerene grabbed his hand and walked off at a quickened pace.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this." Certo said as he watched the flames of Kyubi's sword roll around the barrier he'd formed around his arm.

"Yup. You're doing much better." Kyubi nodded. She withdrew her blade and sheathed it. "I think you should move on to the next step."

"I'm ready." Certo nodded and took a fighting stance.

Flames erupted around Kyubi and her hair blazed brighter than before. Certo froze. He had never seen her use her flames at this level before. He watched as the flames formed the silhouette of a fox around her.

"Being able to manifest your magical spirit takes great amount of concentration and practice." Kyubi said. "It took me a year to master the technique. Now I want you to do the same. Focus on the power of the Imperial's spirit. When you find it grab it and focus on it. I want you to remember what it feels like when you find that power."

"Understood."

"No! I don't want you to say that until you've actually done that. You can never understand until you actually grasp that power for yourself."

"Uh...yes sir. I mean Ma'am!" Certo gulped.

"Shut up and close your eyes." Kyubi's cheeks flushed slightly.

Certo did as he was told. He sat down and began to meditate as Kyubi had first instructed him in the beginning. His breathing began to slow down to the point where it took him an entire minute to complete a full breath. Deep down he felt warm. Like a fire was in the distance. And it was coming closer. The closer it got the warmer he felt. He heard the sound of a roar in the distance and pinpointed its source in his mind.

Kyubi watched in silence as Certo began to glow a light blue. His aura resembled her own, almost to the point where it matched perfectly. "This boy." She thought to herself. "_He's progressed so far and so quickly. If he weren't the Imperial I would be inclined to think he weren't human_."

Certo could hear her heart beat in his ears and her voice in his head. Even though his eyes were closed he could see the fire burning deep within Kyubi. He could see her soul shrouded in the protecting flames and his own standing alone.

"_I want to be like you_." He thought. "_I want to fight with you. I want to save lives. I want to make a difference_."

"_I know_." Kyubi thought back. "_You've progressed so far since we first met. But you still have a long way to go until you can be anything close to me_."

"_I will try_!" Certo heard the roar again. Louder this time. And again. And again. He was getting close to his inner spirit. He could almost feel it.

"Certo! We've got company!" Kyubi shouted. Her hair began to burn and she drew her sword out. Certo remained unmoving. "Certo!" Kyubi called again. He didn't answer. She reached over to shake him but her attention was yanked away as the clouds darkened and began to swirl. The wind howled and another roar cut through the storm. Out of the clouds appeared a deep crimson dragon. It's emerald green eyes locked on to Kyubi and it dove straight for her.

Kyubi moved away from Certo just slightly. The dragon opened its mouth and Kyubi dove out of the way as the beast swooped past her. The tail lashed out as it passed her but missed, leaving a laceration in the concrete.

The dragon flew back around for another pass. Kyubi charged head on and leaped high. The dragon roared, jaws wide and ready to swallow the small girl. Kyubi swung her sword and another roar pierced the air. The dragon crashed into the ground. Its mouth was bleeding and the slash extended along the left side of its body. It looked back over its shoulder as Kyubi walked towards it. It raised its tail and swung at her. Kyubi simply raised her sword to block the blow and the end fell to the ground in a bloody writhing mess.

"You Dark Ki monks really aren't that bright are you?" Kyubi smirked and let her flames dance around her blade. "I will not let allow you to have the Imperial. Under any circumstances."

"Rebel bitch!" The dragon managed to hiss.

"Now that's just rude." Kyubi smiled and plunged her blade in the the dragon's back leg. The monster howled in pain. "That is no way to speak to a lady."

"Lady? You are nothing more than trash."

Kyubi glared at that. She dragged her blade down the dragons leg causing blood to flow freely from the gash. He cried out again.

"It matters not what you do to me."

"I know. You're going to die anyways. So I might as well speed up the process." She walked up beside its massive head and raised her sword. The dragon turned away from her and roared to the sky. Much to Kyubi's surprise he was answered by another roar. She looked up to see more dragons emerge from the portal in the sky. She counted twenty, all different colors. "Crap!" She gritted her teeth and her flames intensified.

Kyubi raised her palm to the sky and aimed at the dragons. A small blue flame formed in her palm then fired with a loud bang. The dragons dove out of the way and Kyubi fired again. The dragons weaved in and out of the flames until they were almost on top of the girl. They landed several yards away and snarled menacingly at her. The lead dragon spewed a raging fireball. Kyubi stood her ground as the flames blew right past her.

"Stupid amateurs." She shook her head. Just then she felt the ground vibrating. She sprang forward as the ground burst up from beneath her feet. The plants were viper dragons; flowers that resembled snap dragons but shot poison needles from their pollen stalks. Kyubi spun around and burned the plants where they stood.

The dragons took their chance while her back was turned. They lunged for her with jaws wide and lashing tongues. Kyubi dodged them and swung her sword once. The rear dragon squawked and fell to the ground, it's hind leg crippled. It's teammates turned on Kyubi in a split second. The girl evaded their attacks while trying to land her own strikes as best she could. The next thing she realized she was surrounded. The dragons hissed menacingly.

Not one soul moved. Kyubi's eyes moved from one dragon to the next and her flames relaxed with her breathing. Her eyes moved over to Certo who was still sitting down with his eyes closed. The aura around him was growing more and more. She couldn't believe he hadn't heard any of the commotion going on.

A blue dragon noticed her stare and looked towards the boy. Kyubi realized that she had given them an opportunity. The dragon turned away from Kyubi and lumbered over to Certo.

"No!" Kyubi shouted and charged after him. The other dragons blocked her path and struck with their talons and jaws. Kyubi jumped back and watched as the dragon returned his monk form and leaned in close towards Certo's face. "Don't touch him!" Kyubi shouted more frantically and slashed at the dragons again trying to get at Certo. They formed a wall of bodies and howled when they were cut. Kyubi withdrew and stared at them wide-eyed. "They're sacrificing themselves to make sure they complete their mission." She thought to herself. "They're serious about it."

The wounded monk pressed his forehead against Certo's and he began to glow red against Certo's blue aura.

Deep within his subconscious Certo floated in the darkness as he descended down a deep cavern. He was feeling super hot now. He was getting close to his spirit beast. He could see a faint blue light down at the bottom slowly coming towards him.

Certo paused a moment as his eyes glowed to match the royal blue. "That must be it." He whispered. "My spirit. My past."

"Go ahead." A voice urged him from behind. "Once you have it you will understand everything."

Certo looked over his shoulder. Hovering behind him was a Dark Ki monk. His robes were torn and bloody and he had blood trickling from a gash in his face.

"What do you want Dark Ki? I have to time for the likes of people like you." Certo's body temperature was rising at an alarming rate.

"Oh no my friend." The monk raised his hands in defense. "I am not merely Dark Ki. No."

"Then who are you?"

"I am your chosen one. I am to be your familiar."

"My familiar."

"Yes. The one who is spiritually connected to you. The one who will be your partner until father time comes to claim you for himself."

"My familiar." Certo repeated. "My partner. The one to be spiritually linked with me. You believe that is you?" The monk looked nervous. "I don't want you as my familiar."

"What!"

"I choose Kyubi as my familiar!" Certo whirled around and tore through the monk with his dragon talons. There was a thunderous roar and the blue light from Certo's center intensified. The energy overwhelmed him and the monk and suddenly He was awake. The monk fell to the ground coughing up blood.

"What...But...How..." He wheezed.

Certo rose up on his hind legs. His body was still changing to its pure form.

"I will choose for myself what to do with my life. No one else will choose for me." Certo's clothes began to tighten as his body began to grow. There was a loud rip as his clothes turned to rags and a tail spurted from his spine. Every eye was on him as his face and neck extruded out and formed a large monitor-like head with horns and a frill surrounding his face. His back arched and he rolled his shoulder blades forward as a pair of jet black wings sprouted. Now fully dragon, Certo towered over the dying monk. "If I will choose anyone to be my partner and familiar, it will be Kyubi!"

"Me!" Kyubi gasped with wide eyes. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"You care nothing about life and therefore do not deserve the right to live yourself." Certo lifted a foot and crushed the monk beneath. Blood spattered across the pavement and Certo's foot.

"Certo!" Kyubi barked a warning and Certo turned right as one of the remaining dragons grabbed him up in his talons. The smaller black Imperial snarled menacingly and struggled to free himself as he was taken up into the sky. "Certo!" Kyubi shouted and jumped as high as she could. Certo saw her and curled his long tail down to her. The dragon carrying him saw this and beat his wings harder. Kyubi reached out to grab Certo's tail and missed by a few inches.

Certo and Kyubi's eyes locked as she began to fall back down to earth. Certo struggled harder to free himself and received several more cuts along his trapped body.

"Let me go!" Certo roared and sank his long teeth into the dragon's toe. The dragon howled and released him. Certo tucked his wings to his body and dove back down to the ground. Kyubi's eyes widened when she saw Certo reach out to her. She took his talon and was yanked in close to him. Certo spread his wings wide to slow down their fall and heard two loud snaps. He jolted and tumbled twenty feet onto the hard cement. He heard Kyubi groan and opened his arms. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Kyubi's eyes were glowing. "I'm okay." She replied. She got to her feet and looked up at the sky as the dragons circled overhead. The one Certo had bit nursed its foot with a long forked tongue. "We need to do something about them."

"I have an idea." Certo nodded in agreement. He stood up fully erect and extended his tail to Kyubi. "Grab on." The girl looked at his long whip-like tail and smiled. "Good thinking. You're becoming more like a Knight Caster everyday."

If dragons could blush, then Certo certainly would have.

"We'll wait for them to make the first move." Kyubi said in almost a whisper.

Certo bobbed his head slightly. He rolled his shoulders and popped his dislocated wings back into place. Kyubi cringed at the grinding sound. It sounded like boulders colliding against each other.

The Dark Ki dragons above circled them for another minute before starting their descent.

"Wait for it." Kyubi said feeling Certo's eagerness.

"Don't worry. I know." Certo curled his lips into what could barely pass for a dragon smiling.

The Dark Ki dragons dove one at a time. They opened their mouths wide and spewed a wave of fire down at Kyubi and Certo. Certo roared back and swung his talons. The blast of air cut through the fire and the flames dispersed. Certo leaned over and swung his tail up to the sky as hard as he could. Kyubi sprang up and was propelled by the whipping tail. The dragons squawked in surprise and raised their claws to shield themselves. Kyubi's blade lit up and she swung. The first dragon's arm fell to the ground and before it could even hit, the girl returned with another slash through its throat. Before the creature could fall she was already aimed straight for the next dragon.

"It was stupid of you all to form a line. But it makes getting rid of you pests all the easier." She cut down five more dragons before the other began to realize what was happening. They tried to break off but Kyubi was moving too fast for them to keep up. She sprang from one fallen dragon to the next. Before she realized it she had cut down the last dragon in a matter of seconds with nowhere to go. Nowhere but down.

"Don't worry I've got you." Certo called up and leaped as high as he could before flapping once. He reached out and Kyubi took his talon. He cradled her close to him and let his spread wings slow their descent back to earth. Certo landed and stumbled on his hind talons, still shaky on landing after a brief flight. He set Kyubi down and stood up over her. "So Kyubi, what do you think? Am I getting better?"

Kyubi looked him up and down. The sun had already disappeared and the moon gave his body a celestial glow. He had reacted with her in a way that she was almost uncomfortable with. Kyubi looked at his dragon form and clenched her fists. It had taken her over a year to master, Certo had achieved in a matter of minutes. The rate he was learning irritated her. She suddenly couldn't stand him anymore. He was so much trouble and not even worth her time. He shouldn't have even been alive and she shouldn't be in this strange new world. In a flash she drew her sword and pointed it at Certo.

"Kyubi? What..."

"Shut up!" Kyubi hissed. "Shut up!" The flames surrounded her body and she began to change. Her pupils slanted and she bared her fangs.

"What's going on?"

"I said shut up!" She snarled and pressed her sword towards him. "You! You think that just because you're the Imperial that you can do anything! You think that you're so great! Simply because you're the reincarnation of a divine being! You know nothing of what it's like to be a Knight Caster! Or what it means to train hard! You have no idea!"

"Kyubi."

"Shut up! I wouldn't have that stupid name if it weren't for you! I wouldn't be here in this place if it weren't for you! You shouldn't even be alive in the first place!" Kyubi raised her sword and swung. Certo raised his arm and flinched. There was a loud clash of metal, then silence. Certo opened his eyes slowly. Kyubi had hit the asphalt with her sword and left a deep scar. She was shaking and her blade rattled. Her eyes were wide as she stared at a frightened Certo. After a moment of silence Certo took a step back and Kyubi's eyes followed. He took another and another. Then he turned and ran. He ran as far as he could as fast as he could.

Kyubi watched as the glow of his scales disappeared into the darkness. She suddenly felt exhausted and collapsed. She looked up at the stars and bit her lower lip. "Why?" She whispered to herself. "Why do I feel this way? What is wrong with me?" She bit down harder and her grip tightened on her sword. "Why!" She shouted to the heavens. The sound of her cry reached out across town. But what no one saw were the tears that flowed freely from her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

"Morning Certo!" Nerene shouted.

"Uh, good morning Nerene." Certo said a little taken back by her suddenness. "Are you okay?"

"Yes! I'm great!" Nerene shouted again.

Certo cocked an eyebrow and glanced over at Shin who looked like he was about ready to fall asleep at his desk. He was about to ask what was going on with them when Ms. Yamato entered the room.

As the day went on Certo noticed that Nerene and Shin were lagging in their work.

"I'm worried about you guys." Certo said at lunch. "You both look like you're ready to pass out any second.

"We're fine." Nerene assured him.

"Speak for yourself." Shin muttered and Nerene kicked him under the table.

"What in bloody hell were you two doing last night. I mean it would be one thing if it were one of you being tired but both of you together usually call it quits for studying at midnight."

"We pulled an all-nighter." Nerene yawned and leaned her head over to rest on Certo's shoulder.

"Well do me a favor and be careful okay." Certo sighed. "I don't need you two falling asleep while walking down a flight of stairs."

"Okay." Nerene yawned again and dozed off into a light sleep.

"I guess Kyubi isn't coming tonight either." Certo sighed sadly. A few days had passed without Kyubi coming home. Certo flopped on his mattress and stared at the ceiling. "I hope she'll be okay." He said aloud. "I wonder what came over her." His mind flashed back to the incident when he had first made contact with his beast spirit. Kyubi had sounded so angry and frustrated. "But why. I know that I'm the Imperial. So what? Doesn't mean I have any know-how of how to use magic or fight. I'm not even to the level she's at." Then he sat straight up. "Hey, maybe that's it!" He rushed to his balcony window and stepped outside. "Maybe this is a test. Maybe she's watching me to see if I will continue training on my own when she isn't around."

"There he is." Nerene whispered. Shin, who was sitting in the bushes beside her nodded quietly. "What do you think he's up to?"

"How the hell should I know? It just looks like he stepped out onto his balcony."

"But why?"

"I have no idea. Why don't I just go ask him." Shin grumbled.

"No!" Nerene hissed. "We can't let him know we're watching him."

"Don't you mean spying?"

"No I mean we are making sure that he is okay. I want to find out what he is getting all these bruises and injuries from."

"So in other words you're spying."

"Shut up!" Nerene turned her head back and jumped in surprise. "Where'd he go?"

"I don't know, back inside maybe? It's freezing out here."

Just then a shadow passed over them. The two upper class-men looked up to see a large creature beating its wings against the wind as it flew off into the distance.

"What in god's name was that?" Nerene gasped.

"I have no earthly idea." Shin gulped and ran his fingers through his hair. He and Nerene looked at each other. "Are you getting the feeling that we shouldn't be out here?"

"Yeah." Nerene nodded. "I think we should go home."

"That may be the best idea you've had in a week." Shin got up and pulled Nerene with him.

"Great mother of Mary you two! Again?" Certo slapped himself in the face the following morning. "You two are going to burn yourselves out if you keep this up."

"That's what I said." Shin agreed and Nerene stomped on his foot.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you two." Certo shook his head.

"Why, what'd they do now?" JT asked as he and his sister entered the room.

"Staying up late again." Certo sighed. "Or out. Whichever came first."

JT snickered. "Bow chicka bow wow." He was answered with a laugh from Certo, a slap from his sister and a stern glare from Shin and Nerene.

"Anyhow, you two had better get some sleep tonight." Certo pointed a scolding finger at them. "Or else."

"Or else what?" Shin demanded trying to act tough in his exhausted state.

"We'll tie you down and knock you out." Miumi chirped playfully. "That way you'll be forced to get some sleep." The three younger students all chuckled leaving Nerene and Shin dumbstruck.

Kyubi stared at Certo as he went about his daily classes. He had a seat close to the window giving her a close, accurate view of him. She watched as he talked with his friends at lunch time and laughed with them. But it was all an act. She could feel his unhappiness and it made her sick to her stomach.

As Certo stepped onto the track for P.E. Kyubi sighed as she watched him train. To the students it looked like Certo was doing what the teacher instructed. But Kyubi could see the way Certo pumped his arms and lifted his legs as he ran up and down the bleacher stairs. The way he tapped the tips of his fingers together with each step he took. Her eyes were able to pick up the steady expansion of his lungs as he breathed in and out.

In honesty to herself she was deeply surprised. "He really takes the training drills I give him that seriously." She hadn't expected him to do take his training to that extent in the slightest. Even novice Knight Casters slacked off a little bit until yanked back into line.

Kyubi sighed. She had to admit, despite that fact that Certo was the Imperial, he was different. Far more different than any Knight Caster she had trained with in the past or any person she had met before in her life. All at once she felt a deep sense of humiliation. "I can't believe I raised my sword to him like that. All he did was have a desire to help."

She was almost fixing to go down to the track and see Certo herself. But just then Certo happened to glance up in her direction. Kyubi squeaked and ducked into hiding. When she was sure he wasn't looking she poked her head back over the side of the building she was standing on. Kyubi clenched her fists tight and gritted her teeth. She suddenly stormed away in a huff.

"What the hell do I care?" She growled to herself. "He means nothing to me. He's just the Imperial. He shouldn't even be alive right now." She leaped off the building and ran as far as she could to the edges of town. There she spotted a jogging path along a riverbank and she sat down on the grass. Despite being September, the grass was comfortably warm. Kyubi closed her eyes and let herself sink into the soft earth. She hadn't laid in the grass in years. She looked up at the sky and watched as the clouds floated by. The wind rustled and blew her hair about her face. She let out another sigh and raised her hand to her face. "I'm sorry Certo." She whispered to herself. "I am so sorry." She closed her eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.

"Easy Certo." JT panted. "You're making the rest of us look bad."

"I'm doing no such thing." Certo scoffed in defiance. "I'm just trying to get stronger."

"Stronger for what?" Miumi asked. "Are you preparing for a marathon or something?"

"Not exactly." Certo huffed as he sped up the rate of his push-ups. "I just want to get stronger. And in better shape."

"As if you weren't in good enough shape already?" Miumi pointed out and ran her finger nails along Certo's triceps. He stopped pumping his arms and stood up. "You've really developed nicely in the past couple months." Her cheeks flushed as she looked him over. He was sweating slightly and the beads of sweat made his body glisten in the afternoon sun.

Certo looked himself over. "I suppose so. I still feel the need to develop further in other ways though."

"Like how?" Miumi cocked her head slightly. Her eyes went from Certo's to his pectorals showing through his sweat-soaked shirt, to his abdominal muscles to his shorts.

"Just my own goals."

"I see." Miumi swallowed hard and turned away before Certo could see the redness in her cheeks.

Off to the side the other girls were running hurdles. Nerene waited for the whistle to blow. When it did she took off. She cleared the first two hurdles with ease. She had just cleared the last hurdle when she glanced off to the side and noticed Certo talking with JT and Miumi. She watched them for a moment and the next thing se knew there was a loud crash. She hit the ground in a tangled mess with the hurdle.

"Nerene!" The other girls stopped running and ran over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Ow." Nerene whimpered. The girls lifted the hurdle off her and helped her up. As soon as she set her foot down a stabbing pain ripped through her leg. She cried out and nearly fell again. She looked down at her right leg. It had a nasty cut on it and was bleeding down her ankle.

"Oh wow. That looks nasty." One of her classmates winced.

"What is it?" JT asked as he Certo and his sister jogged over.

"Nerene tripped over one of the hurdles."

"Are you alright?" Miumi asked when she looked at the wound.

"I'll be fine." Nerene waved, more embarrassed than hurt. "I'll just go see the school nurse."

"I'll take her." Certo stepped forward towards the girls who were supporting her.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" One of them asked.

"Positive." Certo nodded and scooped Nerene up in his arms. He took off at a run leaving his classmates in the dust.

"I'm worried about you and Shin." Certo said once the nurse had bandaged Nerene's injury. "You two have been lagging far more than what I would call safe for you two." Nerene looked at him but said nothing. "It was one thing for you two come to school after studying or going out together all night. But when you start getting hurt I have to ask you two to take a break from whatever routine you're doing and get some rest."

Nerene's cheeks turned a deep crimson. She was surprised Certo was being so forward with her. She was also taken aback by his extreme concern for her and Shin even though they were technically spying on him each night.

Certo looked into her tired eyes. He wasn't sure how much of what he had said had gotten through to her but he hoped it was enough. He sighed and sat on the bed beside her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." Nerene smiled softly and sat up.

"If a friend is teaching another friend something they know, and that friend is learning at an alarmingly fast rate simply because they take their friend's lessons seriously, does that mean that friend should be able to get mad at the friend learning the material?"

Nerene was silent once again for a moment. Certo wanted to look away, seeing that the question had obviously confused her. But his concern for Kyubi's feelings wouldn't let him turn from Nerene's answer.

After a moment's though she finally spoke. "I would not agree with that friend that was getting mad at the student for progressing so quickly. But on the other hand you should think about what is being taught. That material may have taken a long time for that friend to learn in the first place. The fact that someone who has not had any previous training is excelling so fast may be cause for some jealousy within the teacher."

"I see." Certo nodded and rubbed his chin. "Will you excuse me? I have someone I want to see."

Nerene was still a little confused but managed to nod dumbly. "Sure. I'll be fine. Shin is supposed to walk me home today anyway."

"Thank you." Certo gave a formal European bow and dashed out of the room.

The wind blew again. Kyubi opened her eyes and a chill ripped through her body. She sat up and looked around. The sun was setting in the distance and a strong breeze rushed across the grassy hillside. There was something unsettling in her stomach. She stayed put and watched the tree tops. The breeze grew stronger until it turned into a full on gust of wind.

"Shit." She thought to herself. The sky was turning from a brilliant fiery orange to a dull grey. The sounds of thunder rumbling could be heard in the distance. Kyubi rose to her feet and drew her sword. The blade lit up with flames as did her hair.

"They are four." She muttered to herself. Off in the distance she heard a pair of howls and another pair echoed after the leaders. The wind blew again and suddenly Kyubi had their scents. Her heart nearly stopped once she recognized them. "Double shit!" She cursed. She turned and began running back towards town. She hadn't gone more than a few yards before she stopped. "What am I doing?" She sighed and looked out over the rooftops of town. "I can't go get Certo for help." She remembered the way she had shouted at him before. "He's probably mad at me. That's why he hasn't come to find me." She felt a sense of regret but it quickly passed when she slapped herself in the face a couple times. "Get a grip Kyubi. You're a Knight Caster! Your duty is to keep the Dark Ki from getting their hands on Certo." She paused again. It was the first time she had referred to Certo as his formal title. She clenched her fists tight until her knuckles turned white beneath her gloves. "I won't let them have him." She turned back to the magic forces that were growing nearer to her location. "Certo is mine. And no one else's."

Just then they burst from the trees. Kyubi shielded herself from the shower of leaves that surrounded her.

"There she is!" One of the girls chirped excitedly.

"Aha! I believe she is the one that Master Alexander has been referring to with such distaste." The blue-eyed boy next to her nodded.

"She looks like she would be a nice morsel." The other boy licked his fangs in anticipation and his knuckles cracked.

"Easy dear brother. She'll be a light snack if anything. And there are four of us remember."

"I do suppose you're right sis." The boy with golden eyes crossed his arms in a gesture of superiority to Kyubi.

"You four are the Wolf Pack Twins, aren't you?" Kyubi said in a low tone just barely audible to the two sets of twins.

"I see that our reputation has been carried to this pathetic excuse of a world."

"I wouldn't say that." Kyubi sneered. "It's just hard to mistake the stench of a pack of grimy wolves."

"Why you insolent bitch!" The blue-eyed sister sprang for Kyubi with long claws reaching out to kill. Kyubi slapped her across the face with her hair. The girl and her brother screamed in pain as the embers burned their eyes. The girl hit the dirt with a thud and her brother fell to his knees, both clutching at their faces. The other two siblings charged in immediately. Kyubi was rammed headlong into a tree and rolled across the hard ground. They ignored her while they helped their comrades up.

"Mike. Are you two okay?" The other sister asked as she took his face in her hands.

"Better than that little rebel bitch is going to be." The blue-eye boy snarled.

"Here, let me help you then." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Smoke seeped between his eyelids and he opened his eyes, fully recovered. He looked over at his sister who seemed really into her own healing.

"If you two are done yet." Mike sighed. It was just like his sister to enjoy her healing ritual.

"I am now." She smiled and licked her lips lustfully.

"Good. Then let's go." Mike bared his fangs and let out an eerie howl.

"I gotta find Certo." Kyubi huffed. She ran as fast as she could towards Certo's house. "If those four smell him, they will track him down and then it will be the end of him." She leaped high over several rooftops and landed silently. "Wait Kyubi. Think. If you warn him, then you will have his scent all over you from being around him." She sighed. "Damn. There's only one other thing I can think of." She sprinted as fast as she could towards his house, praying that she would have enough time.

Certo ran all across town. It was after sunset and he still had no idea where Kyubi was. He had picked up remnants of her scent earlier but they had vanished with the evening mist. He paused to think to himself.

"She wasn't at any of the usual spots we went to." He thought to himself. " Maybe I'm not searching far enough." He scanned the alley and ducked behind a dumpster. He growled slightly as he morphed into his dragon form. When he was fully changed he climbed to the top of the building and spread his wings.

The wind felt good under his wings as he flew over the city. From his height Certo could see for miles in every direction. His gaze fell upon the river that ran through the town's park. "Hm." He thought to himself. He dove towards the park and landed on a grassy hillside.

Almost immediately he smelled her. His head swiveled around on it's long neck as he aimed to pinpoint its location. He trotted along as he continued to smell the air. He flicked his tongue out a couple times and the scent grew stronger. He flicked his tongue again. "Jacob's gland." He thought to himself, recalling his knowledge of reptile anatomy. He continued this action and it led him to a shattered tree. He sniffed at the ground and smelled blood.

Certo's heart nearly stopped. He flicked his tongue some more. There were other scents too; four of them. Unlike Kyubi's sweet aroma, they resembled more of a wet dog. The scents disappeared into the darkness along with Kyubi's. Certo took to the air again.

"Oh no!" He muttered with his dragon mouth and pumped his wings as fast as he could. "She was headed towards home!" He reached his house in a couple of minutes and landed on his roof. Certo tucked his wings to his body and slunk down onto his balcony. The scent was very strong here. Certo looked up and spotted a message carved into the wood.

_Certo. Touch the spot._

Certo spotted a small red drop of blood bellow the message. Without thinking he pressed a talon up to it. In a flash he saw Kyubi standing on his balcony looking back towards the park across town. Off in the distance she spotted four young teenagers charging for her. Their energy gave them the appearance of a pack of wolves. Kyubi bolted away from his balcony and took off towards the center of town. In a flash Certo was back to reality. He shook his head in confusion and looked to the center of town.

He climbed onto the railing of his balcony and spread his wings. With a mighty leap he was airborne again. He could vaguely smell Kyubi's disappearing scent. All of a sudden it disappeared. Certo somersaulted in the air and turned back. He flicked his tongue out several times. The split second he picked her scent back up he halted in mid air. He hovered over the area and surveyed the scene. The area was relatively untouched. Certo squinted in the darkness and began to see more.

Deep gashes and burned peppered the ground. Several trees had been broken from their trunks, either by a swift, clean cut or shattered completely through. Certo landed on the ground and began flicking his tongue anxiously. His heart rate was increasing to the point where it was difficult for him to breathe.

Then he felt another flash. He saw Kyubi fighting four werewolves. She slashed with her sword wounding her enemies. They had her outnumbered and were working together to divert her attention on one of them while the others attacked. Gashes were torn open all over Kyubi. She fell to her knees, exhausted and bloody. One of the wolves changed back to his original form and kicked Kyubi in the ribs, breaking them. Certo jolted angrily as he saw her limp body roll across the ground. The other werewolves circled her with fangs bared and blood dripping from their fangs and open wounds.

The boy walked over to Kyubi and planted his foot on her head. "Now tell me. Where is he? Where is the Imperial?"

"I don't know." Kyubi wheezed, struggling to get up. "But if I did, I sure wouldn't tell you stinking mutts."

"How stupid of you." The boy snarled and stomped his foot down. Kyubi gave one final cry then lay still.

Certo's heart nearly stopped. He watched with his mouth open and trembling. The wolves returned to the human forms and gathered around Kyubi's limp body.

"Nate, did you...?" A boy with blue eyes asked looking at the golden-eyed boy uncertainly.

"No. We can't afford to kill her." Certo's heart started beating normally again. "At least not yet."

"This is the one the Imperial chose as his familiar? What a waste." One of the girls nudged Kyubi with her boot. She had golden eyes like the other boy.

"We can talk about this later Christa ." The blue-eyed girl pointed out. For now let's get back to the den. We can interrogate her there."

"Agreed." Nate nodded. "Let's go."

Another flash jolted Certo back to the present. He shook his head and looked up at the dark sky. The clouds were overshadowing the moon and in a matter of minutes it was pouring rain.

Certo watched the stains of blood wash away with the forming puddles. He felt completely helpless. He had no idea where Kyubi was or how to get there. She had fought to protect him from those four who had hunted her down like an animal. She had been trying to protect him by staying away from him the whole time. At least that's what he felt was going on.

"This is all my fault." He hissed. His talons sank into the concrete. "I had to take her training so seriously! I had to show her how good I wanted to be! I had to show her I wanted to be as strong as her!" Certo's body began to glow and his temperature rose. "This is all my fault!" He let loose a roar and the light began to shine brighter.

Suddenly there was a flash of lightning. The bolt struck the ground and Certo found himself surrounded by the light. He watched as the energy leaped up to form a portal of electric energy. Certo looked around before taking a step forward. There was a flash and then everything was dark.

It took Certo a moment to realize that he was in a cave. The air was wet and smelled of wet dog and dirty laundry. Certo was forced to keep his mouth closed to keep from smelling the air any further while his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

After a few minutes he dared to flick his tongue out again. The air tasted fowl but he managed to pick up Kyubi's scent nearby. There were four others he detected too. Certo slipped further into the tunnels of the cave. He continued flicking his tongue out every so often to narrow in on his target . But the smell left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I don't know what's worse. The taste or smell of this place." He muttered under his breath.

"So what are we to do with this one now?" Christa growled. Her hazel eyes burned with frustration. The wolf twins had all gathered in a large cavern chamber together

"The same thing we've been doing this entire time." Her brother walked over to a wall in the cave that had been completely smoothed flat. He looked up at the girl nailed to it and licked his fangs. "We just keep increasing the amount of pain until she sings for us."

Kyubi struggled to lift her head. Her body ached and throbbed. The wolf twins had bound her to the rock wall and nailed her hands straight through. She had given up on trying to escape. Even if she managed to do so she couldn't fight to her full potential; not without her sword. lines of blood stained the wall and formed into a still-wet puddle bellow her.

Nate walked up to Kyubi and leaned in close to her face. "I'm going to ask you again sweetie. Not that I care what the answer is. Where is the Imperial?"

"I said before. I don't know." Kyubi wheezed trying her best to be strong. "And if I did I sure as hell wouldn't tell you."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Nate smirked. His hand grew and sprouted fur and long nails. He drove his claws into Kyubi's stomach and she screamed. Nate withdrew his claws and licked the blood of them. "Feel like saying anything now?"

Kyubi turned a fiery glare on the boy. "Never." She coughed and more blood splattered onto the floor. "You all can just go to hell."

"You first." Christa snickered and grabbed Kyubi's sword off of a table nearby. She drew the blade and moved towards Kyubi with a look of bloodlust in her eyes. She swung the sword and cut straight down from Kyubi's collar bone across her chest.

This time Kyubi just winced and gritted her teeth.

"Oh so you're going to play tough huh?" Christa raised the sword again. Kyubi jolted her neck forward and spat on the girl. The spit fire sent the wolf-girl's skin ablaze and she shrieked in surprise and pain. Christa dropped Kyubi's sword and began to frantically try and put herself out.

Kyubi screamed as the restriction spell began to take effect. Because she had used magic the spell began to drain her life further and it hurt more than the torture. When the pain subsided she hung her head limp.

"You should have known that was coming." Mike shook his head as he walked up to Kyubi as Nate proceeded to tend to his twin.

Kyubi struggled for air. "It was worth it." She looked over at Christa who was being helped to her feet. Her long brown hair had been burned and her skin was covered in third-degree burns.

"Why you little bitch!" Christa lunged for Kyubi. She punched her in the cheek and raked her claws across her chest tearing her clothes to shreds. "If we didn't need the Imperial so bad I would kill you myself!"

"Easy Chris." Sara warned as she grabbed her arm before she could land another blow. "We need her alive still. Don't go overboard."

Christa snatched her arm away and stormed off towards the tunnels. Just before she left she turned to her pack-mates. "I call dibs on finishing her off."

"Okay sis. We got it." Nate waved and they turned back to Kyubi. Christa had just turned around when she stopped dead in her tracks. The pair of royal blue eyes glistened in the darkness and the faint light shimmered off the black scales and teeth.

Christa screamed as Certo pounced on her. He pinned her legs so she couldn't get away and let loose a menacing snarl.

"Help me!" Christa shouted in sheer terror and reached desperately for her pack-mates. Before the others could move Certo plunged his claws into her burned flesh and raked backwards. The wolf-girl cried out once then fell limp. Certo reached down and picked her limp body up in his mouth. He swung his head once and let the tattered body roll to the feet of the wolf twins.

Both boys stared in shock at the mangled motionless body. Slowly Nate's hands clenched into fists so tight his claws cut into his skin.

Kyubi looked up through blood-stained eyes. He vision was blurred red but she recognized that dragon that stood across the chamber. Her eyes grew wide. "Certo."

Certo reared his head back and bellowed. The sound vibrated against the walls and cracked the stone.

"Shut up!" Nate shouted furiously. Fur sprouted across his body. A tail grew and his face stretched to a pointed snout with stained yellow teeth. "I will make you pay." He bared his fangs and lunged, knocking Certo back through a cave wall.

"Sis. You keep an eye on her." Mike told his sister as he transformed to his natural form.

"Right." Sara nodded.

Certo snarled and slashed with his claws. Nate dodged and swung a hard fist. Certo snaked his neck under the blow and recoiled with his jaws wide. Nate reared back but the dragon's long teeth grazed his cheek. Nate swung his fist back and connected with Certo's upper jaw. The dragon howled and skidded down the tunnel. As Certo picked himself off the floor the werewolf pounced on his back. Certo jumped up and slammed his back against the ceiling. Nate yelped and released his grip. Certo turned on him in a flash with jaws wide. Before he could deliver a fatal bite, Certo's head was slammed into the floor.

Mike grabbed the dragon around the neck and threw him on his back. He then turned to Nate and bared his fangs. "Don't let your emotions get the better of you. We will take care of this the way we always have."

Nate shook himself. "Right." The two wolves began to circle Certo as he got to his feet. The dragon hissed menacingly as he watched the wolves begin to cover him on both sides. Saliva and blood dripped from his teeth and he took in a deep breath. Certo unleashed a roar strong enough to send Nate tumbling head over heals. Mike leaped high onto Certo's back, pinning his wings. Certo spun around trying to reach back with his claws and teeth whirling wildly to get the wolf off his back. Certo stood up on his hind legs and slammed himself into a wall. Mike growled in irritation but held on tight. Certo slammed the wolf into two more walls. Each time he felt weaker than the last. At last he crouched down and prepared to slam into the ceiling again. The instant he began to leave the floor, Mike released him. From out of the darkness Nate launched like a fur-covered cannon ball and slammed hard into Certo. The dragon snarled in pain and crashed into the far wall.

The wolf brothers stalked up to their fallen prey. Slowly Certo began to return to his human form. His energy glimmered slightly and his P.E. uniform appeared on him. Certo struggled to pick himself up but was too tired and hurt. The wolves stood on their hind legs. Nate's jaws curled into what could have been considered a smile.

"So this is the legendary Imperial? Not too impressive if you ask me."

"I agree." Mike growled. "According to what the Master said he should have been far stronger than this."

"Perhaps. Either that..."

Certo forced a strong laugh. "You guys are idiots." The wolves smiles disappeared. "You think I actually came here to fight you?"

"If you didn't come to fight us then did you just come to see your partner die before giving up?"Nate leaned in close to Certo's face. "Or maybe..."

"Nate! There's something going on! I think you need to get back here!" Sara's voice shouted from down the hall.

"What!" Mike snarled and bolted down the hall. Nate grabbed Certo and followed after him.

"What's going on?" Nate growled as he entered the main chamber.

"I think the Imperial was transferring his power to the Knight Caster! She's stronger than ever!"

"It's over for you mutts!" Kyubi shouted. Her hair burned with blue flames and her body began to glow.

"Not possible!" Mike gasped in shock.

Kyubi unleashed an angry yell and her hands burned. The spikes that punctured her hands burned away and her wounds healed. The restriction spell cast on her body broke and soon the entire cavern was lit from the flames that surround her and the wolf pack. The fire began to focus into the palms of her hands and the light blinded the wolf twins.

"It's payback flea-bags. One hundred fold!"

"Oh yeah? That's what you think!" Nate snarled and shoved his way to the front of the pack. He held Certo up by his neck and Certo struggled to breathe. "If you hit us then you destroy your fried as well."

"Do you really think that will stop her?" Certo choked. His remark surprised both the wolves and Kyubi.

"Certo and I may be partners. But he knows the price at which comes with being associated with a Knight Caster. If the enemy gets their hands on him, he must die." Kyubi's fire blazed with more intensity. The heat was beginning to burn the wolves fur.

"She's serious." Mike gasped, taking a step back.

"Let's get out of here!" Sara whimpered.

"I'm with you!" Nate yelped and dropped Certo on the hard floor. The wolf pack turned to flee but Certo whirled on them and grabbed Mike and Nate by their hind legs with his dragon talons. Before Sara could get away, Certo's long whip-like tail snapped out and lassoed her as well.

"Let go of us!" Sara snarled and bit into Certo's tail. The Imperial winced but maintained his tight grip.

"Are you insane?" Mike shouted. "Do you want to die? Are you willing to risk your own life to get rid of us?"

"Absolutely." Certo lied. "If it means that there will be less for the Knight Caster's to fight then I consider myself to have made a difference in this world.

"Say goodbye!" Kyubi brought their attention back to her. She combined her flaming balls of energy and fired. All at once time seemed to slow down for her. She watched as Certo looked up at her with a sad smile on his face. Then his face disappeared in the blinding light. There was a sudden silence, then an earth-shattering explosion. Kyubi threw up a barrier and covered her eyes against the blinding light. "I'm sorry." She whispered but the words were drowned by thunder of destruction.

Kyubi stood motionless and stared at the rubble that had once been the torture chamber for the wolf twins. The ceiling had been blown open to reveal a night sky. It had been almost an hour since the dust had settled. The floor and walls were scorched and piles of rock debris littered the cavern.

Overhead a bird chirped in the darkness and a breeze filled the cave. Kyubi shuddered and covered her bare chest. She was cold but couldn't bring herself to use her magic yet.

After a moment she sank to her knees and closed her eyes. Her thoughts drifted back to Certo as he smiled in the face of her fatal attack. Anger was the first emotion to pop into her mind. He wasn't even a Knight Caster, much less a soldier. And he had willingly sacrificed himself to help her defeat an enemy. Kyubi's mind moved back to when the two of them had trained together in his world. She had felt no mercy towards him and had pushed him extremely hard. It had originally been out of anger and her extreme distaste for having to be around him. But she had eventually noticed that he respected her position and authority as a Knight Caster and an instructor.

Kyubi's head sank lower and her blue hair draped about her face. I'm such an idiot." She whispered to herself. "I am such a foolish idiot." She clenched her fists tight and slammed them in to the floor, crushing the stones beneath. She pounded at the floor three times before she stopped.

Kyubi looked up and listened. There was a faint thumping sound in the distance. But with every beat it would grow louder. Kyubi reached for her sword that lay on the floor and unsheathed it. The thumping was almost deafening to her ears now.

"Kyubi!" She heard a familiar voice inside her head.

"Certo?" Kyubi stood up and looked around. Just then there was a loud crash as a wall of rock came tumbling down in front of Kyubi. The girl jumped back and pointed her sword forward. There was a mild hiss and in a cloud of dust a black dragon fell out across the pile of stones. "Certo!" Kyubi sheathed her sword and slung it across her chest.

The dragon was weak and breathing heavy. His once glossy scales were now covered in ash and dust. Certo's lips curled showing his upper teeth. Kyubi smiled back at him and knelt down in front of him.

"I found you." Certo wheezed and coughed out some dust. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Kyubi shook her head as she knew what he was talking about. "You don't have anything to be sorry about." She lifted his large head and looked him in the eyes. "I'm the one who should be sorry." Kyubi set his head in her lap and began stroking his soft facial scales. "You said before. That you've been improving so much because you have a good teacher. I should have taken you seriously. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you to start with."

"I understand your feelings about me being the Imperial." Certo whispered. "I just wanted you to know that I'm serious about helping you out as a Knight Caster. I want to make you proud."

Kyubi's cheeks flushed in the darkness. Then she smiled. "You do Certo. You do make me proud." She scooted in closer to him and hugged his head close to her body. Almost immediately Certo's temperature rose and he gave a low comforted growl and wrapped a damaged wing around her to shield her from the cold.

For a long time neither moved or said anything. Kyubi was the one to break the silence.

"How did you find me in the first place?"

Certo opened one eye. I followed your scent to where you were captured. I somehow expelled my magic and activated a portal like the Dark Ki use. The next thing I knew, I was here."

"Can you show me where?" Kyubi asked. Her tone was back to being serious.

"Sure." Certo pushed himself up off the floor and shook the dust and pebbles off. He took a a step forward and his front talon buckled. He hit the floor hard and groaned in irritation and embarrassment.

"Are you alright?" Kyubi asked and knelt down next to him.

"I'm fine." Certo huffed and struggled to pick himself up. But his arm wouldn't support his weight. Kyubi helped him to his feet and made sure he was stable before taking his arm in her hands. She applied a series of squeezes along his forearm. About midway Certo hissed and his tongue flicked out.

"Feels like it's broken." Kyubi reported. She pulled several of the tattered remains of her clothes off and splinted Certo's humerus to his biceps. "I'll be here to help you." Kyubi said and placed a warm hand on Certo's shoulder. The dragon gave a light huff of acknowledgment.

Certo hobbled down the hall with Kyubi keeping a close eye on their surroundings. At last they arrived at the chamber Certo had arrived in.

"Are you sure this is it?" Kyubi asked leaving Certo at the entrance of the chamber to look around.

Without answering, Certo dipped his torso down and placed a claw on the floor. After a moment the symbols lit up. The glow was very faint though and Certo was forced to set himself down.

"I'm sure I can get us back to your world on my own." Kyubi said as she walked over to the exhausted dragon. She placed her hand on top of his talon and the glow intensified. The chamber soon became fully lit and an orb of light formed in the middle of the room. Kyubi transfered some of Certo's magic back to him and helped him to his feet. The two reached for the orb and vanished in a flash. When the light died down they were back in the plaza.

"Ready to go home?" Kyubi asked and patted the dragon's sleek scales.

"Absolutely." Certo bobbed his head. He spread his wings and looked down at Kyubi. She nodded, understanding his intention and hopped up onto his back. After a couple warm up flaps, Certo leaped into the air and glided off towards home.

"His light hasn't been on all night." Shin groaned. He was reclining against a tree and pretending to stay awake.

"I don't think Certo has been home since I talked to him yesterday afternoon. Nerene said.

"So what business is it of yours? We don't need to pry into his personal life."

"Shin. We have to find out what is going on with Certo. I won't rest until I know what's going on in his life. It makes me very uneasy to see him acting the way he has been these past several weeks."

"Fine. But I trust Certo to tell us if he needs any help." Shin grumbled as he got to his feet. "I'm tired of spying on him and I'm tired in general. I'm going home to salvage whatever sleep I can." He grabbed his backpack and started walking away.

Nerene sighed in frustration. "Okay, wait for me to get my crutches." She grabbed her backpack and stabilized herself on her crutches. Shin waited for her to catch up. They hadn't gone more than a few yards when Shin stopped. "What is it?" Nerene asked.

"Do you hear something?"

Nerene paused and after a moment she heard it. The sound of leathery wings against the wind. The sound was faint but it grew louder and suddenly a loud flap and a gust of wind blew by directly over their heads. The two high schoolers shielded themselves from the wind and blowing twigs and leaves.

"What in god's name was that?" Shin gasped.

"I don't know." Nerene shuddered. "I think we should go back and see where that thing was headed."

"What? Are you going crazy from lack of sleep?" Shin snapped. "That, thing, was huge! Too huge to be a bat or a bird and too small to be an airplane! It wasn't even a machine! Why would we want to find out what it was?"

"I'm more worried about Certo." Nerene replied and turned to start heading back towards Certo's house.

"Damn it!" Shin cursed. "Wait for me! If anything happens to you I won't be able to forgive myself for leaving you alone." He hurried after her.

"Hey!" Nerene exclaimed.

"What! What is it?"

"Look." Nerene pointed up to the balcony. The light inside was on and she could see Certo's human silhouette behind the drapes.

"See. Certo is home." Shin groaned. "Can we go now?"

Nerene sighed. "Yeah. We can..." She stopped mid sentence. All at once she saw another shadow against the light; a shadow of a girl.

"Who is that?" Shin pondered loudly.

"Sssssshhhh!" Nerene hissed and shoved him into the bushes as Kyubi opened the door to the balcony. She stood almost naked on the balcony as she peered into the darkness.

Kyubi spotted Shin and Nerene in the underbrush and recognized them as Certo's classmates. They watched her with wide, tired eyes unaware that she could see them plain as day. As an extra precaution, Kyubi sniffed the air but found nothing wrong. With a toss of her long blue hair she returned to the warmth of the house. Inside she looked at Certo who was in the bathroom with the door open. He pulled his head from under the faucet and wiped the last drops from his lips.

"Your classmates are worried about you." Kyubi said plainly.

"Say what?" Certo cocked his head.

"They were outside watching your window."

"Really?" Certo made a move towards the balcony but Kyubi stopped him.

"I don't think they suspect anything. For now we need to focus on getting some rest. You still have school tomorrow if I remember right."

"Actually, tomorrow is a weekend day. We can sleep it away if we want."

"I will can agree with that." Kyubi yawned and for a moment Certo thought he saw a set of longer canine fangs but was too tired to dwell on it. He turned the light off and crawled onto his bed. Kyubi watched as Certo began to fall asleep. When he was about half way gone he began to turn in the sheets. after about a minute he stopped and lay still in the nest formed out of his blankets. Kyubi smiled and took up her usual spot on his futon. "Good night." She whispered before drifting off.


	8. Chapter 8

Certo yawned and gave a long stretch out on the roof of his house. Two weeks had gone by without incident. Kyubi had increased his training and every day he began to improve his mastery of magic. It was mid-day now of a weekend and Certo had just woken up from a long nap out in the sun.

Certo finished his stretch and half crawled half slithered back into his house. He found Kyubi curled up in a ball on the floor. She was wearing a pair of Certo's old gym shorts and t-shirt much too large for her, causing it to drape down her shoulders. Her hair was strewn about her body and Certo smiled. She looked cute when she was asleep and Certo could feel his cheeks flush. His thoughts flashed back to when he had gone to rescue her from the wolf twins. He remembered how she had been so close to him and had held him close to her naked body. When she cradled his head in her lap, her legs had felt so soft and her tummy was slightly firm from developed muscles underneath her silky skin. Her breasts weren't entirely huge, but developed enough to give her a decent bulge in her chest.

"She may be small. But she looks really good." Certo didn't realize it but his overall body temperature had spiked. As if to sense what he was thinking Kyubi opened one eye.

"Is there any particular reason you're staring at me?" She hinted that she was slightly annoyed by his presence.

"Oh! Uh! No!" Certo stammered. "I'm going to go out for little while."

"Very well." Kyubi yawned and tightened her ball up. "Make sure you get some extra training done."

"I will." Certo nodded. He changed his clothes and headed out the door leaving Kyubi alone with the door to the balcony open to let the sun shine on her.

"Certo." JT's mother gasped. "Seeing you here is certainly a rare treat. I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been."

"I'm doing really well." Certo smiled cheerfully.

"JT was telling me that you had disappeared for a while a couple months ago. Are you alright?"

"Actually I am. Ever since I've been feeling better than ever."

"Well, that's bit odd. But if you say so then I guess that I can't complain."

"I know, right?" Certo chuckled.

"JT and his sister are upstairs."

"Thank you." Certo gave a semi formal European bow before making his way upstairs. As he reached the top of the stair case he bumped into Miumi who had just come out of the shower. She and Certo locked eyes for a moment.

"Certo?" She squeaked. Her cheeks began to turn deep red.

"I'll give you a moment." Certo said a bit embarrassed at seeing his friend practically naked.

"Yea. I'll be right out." Miumi turned and hustled down to her room. "JT!" She called. Before she disappeared into her room Certo made out the slightest hint of her butt peeking out from bellow her towel wrapped around her body.

JT poked his head out of his room. "Hey. Come on in." Certo entered JT's room to find his friend in the middle of playing his video games. "Haven't hung out with you in a while."

"I know." Certo bowed his head a bit ashamed. "Did you guys have anything planned today?"

"Not necessarily. Why?"

"I was thinking that we should all go do something fun together. Go to the park or something."

"Yeah sure." JT switched off his console and stretched. "Are Shin and Nerene coming too?"

"I haven't gotten a hold of them yet." Certo shrugged.

"Tell you what. You call them and I will start getting ready."

"Okay." Certo nodded and began searching through his cell phone's address book.

Meanwhile, back in her room, Miumi could overhear the conversation in her brother's room. She dropped her towel and walked over to her open closet and began searching for an outfit for the day.

"What should I wear?" She thought to herself. "It's sunny out, which is good so maybe shorts or a skirt." She pulled out a mini skirt and a pair of shorts. "Maybe not that extreme." She put the skirt back and tossed the shorts on her bed.

"Hey sis. You gunna come with us?" JT called from outside her door.

Miumi jumped. "Yeah. Just gimme a few minutes." She rushed to her dresser and began digging through her shirts.

"She'll be a little while." JT sighed as Certo got off the phone with Shin. "You know how girls are."

Certo chuckled. "Trust me. They could be worse. Shin says that he and Nerene will meet us downtown in half an hour."

"Sounds good. None of us have been to the downtown area in a long time."

"You can say that again."

"I'm ready." Miumi called as she opened her door. As JT and Certo met her in the hall, Certo gave her a quick sweep with his eyes. She had on baby blue short shorts and stockings that went up to her thighs and navy blue sandals. She wore a royal blue tank top and a jean vest that was zipped up just under her bust line.

Miumi seemed to feel Certo's eyes and she began to blush. "What do you think Certo?"

Certo pressed his lips together and bobbed his head silently, trying not to focus too much on the way her breasts were pressed to show her cleavage.

"Shall we get going guys?" JT asked as he opened the front door.

"Let's." Certo and Miumi chimed in together and laughed.

"Wow. This place has changed." Certo gasped in awe.

"I'll say." JT agreed. The friends had walked down town and were standing at the gates to that area of the city. "There's some new places here that I never knew would be in our area."

"Should we start looking around or should we wait for Shin and Nerene?" Miumi asked as she looked back over her shoulder.

"I say we wait." Certo nodded. "It's gunna be fun today, so we don't need to rush."

The twins nodded in agreement. They sat on a bench by the gates and waited for their classmates to show. While they waited Miumi sat next to Certo and watched him out of the corner of her eye. Certo's focus was turned to the ground.

After a while Miumi dared to turn her head towards him. Certo remained unmoving. Every so often his lips would twitch as if he were blowing on something. Curious, Miumi followed his gaze. Hovering above the pavement was a leaf twitching slightly on a pillow of air. Miumi looked back to Certo and then to the leaf. After a moment of hovering, the leaf flipped upwards then paused. Then it began to settle down and then did a double loop back up and spun in a spiral back to the ground. Once it had settled, Miumi moved her eyes slowly back to Certo. Certo's eyes remained locked and he gave a slight whistle and the leaf flew high. Miumi watched as the leaf glided down to a soft landing on her right hand. Certo turned his head and looked up. But not to Miumi.

"Hey guys!" He waved down the street as he spotted Shin and Nerene coming down the street.

"Sorry we're late." Shin huffed. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Only five minutes or so." JT answered before Certo could check his cell phone.

"Are we ready to get this day started?" Nerene asked. She wore her long hair down and had a tie around the middle in a tail.

"Absolutely." JT nodded. "Let's go have some fun."

"Right o' mate." Certo smiled and turned towards the stores of the downtown area. The others followed with Miumi trailing behind.

"What was that?" She thought to herself as she rolled the leaf stem between her fingers. "I could have sworn that Certo." She shook her head. "No. It must be my imagination." She stuffed the leaf into her pocket and hurried after the others.

The day went as any normal day for a group of teenagers out on the town. Certo and his friends spent time at the arcade, looked around the shops, ate lunch and hung out around the central plaza. The boys all groaned when the girls asked to carry their bags from shopping

"A real man isn't ashamed to carry a lady's bags for her." Nerene pointed out.

"Why do girls have to buy so much?" JT groaned under the weight of his sister's bags.

"Mate, if there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's: Never try and understand girls." Shin sighed."

"Oh that reminds me!" Miumi snapped her fingers. She grabbed Certo by the hand. "Certo come with me. I wanted you to help me at a store I saw earlier."

"Um, ok!" Certo nearly dropped the bags he was carrying as she pulled him along.

"Good luck buddy!" Shin called after them.

JT chuckled. "He'll need it."

"Where are we going?" Certo asked.

"I thought I saw it down here." Miumi sounded just as puzzled as Certo. "Everything looks so different at night. I can't really tell one store from another."

"Where were we when you first saw this store?" Certo asked looking around.

"It was when we passed by the dollar store." Miumi scratched her head and stopped to look around. She took a couple steps back and was about to turn around when she felt something wrap around her mouth. She gave a surprised and muffled yelp as she was yanked into the alleyway.

"What kind of store was it?" Certo asked as he turned back to where she was standing. "Miumi?" His gaze darted left then right. He didn't see her. All at once he felt a strong chill. His eyes locked on the alleyway where she had been standing near.

"Hold still you little bitch!" The man snarled.

Miumi struggled to free herself but the man held her tight as he dragged her down the alley. He pulled her around a corner and propped himself up against the wall. His hand shifted slightly and Miumi took her chance. She bit down hard, puncturing the man's flesh. He cried out in pain and grabbed for the girl as she ran back around the corner. He raced after her but came to a halt after a few steps.

"Go get the others Miumi." Certo growled as he stepped in front of her.

"But what about you?"

"I can handle myself." Certo said more forcefully. "Now go!"

Miumi didn't argue. She sprinted out of the alley and down the street as fast as she could.

"Who do you think you are punk?" The bald man growled.

"You chose the wrong girl to mess with buddy." Certo snarled and bared his fangs. His eyes began to glow in the darkness and the wind howled in the confined space between the buildings.

"What in god's name is...?" The man didn't finish his sentence. Certo's whip-like tail snapped out wrapped around the man's leg. The man screamed as he was hurled back into the wall and crumbled to the ground on a pile of trash bags.

Certo lumbered up to his as the man struggled to hang onto consciousness.

"Don't ever mess with my friends. Got it?" He glared directly into the man's eyes and watched as he fainted. Certo then turned back to the street and headed back to find Miumi and the others.

Certo hadn't walked more than a block when he spotted the group running towards him.

"Certo! What's going on!" JT huffed as he came to a stop.

"Mate it's fine." Certo raised a hand to calm his friend down. Then he looked to Miumi. "Are you okay?"

Miumi was still trembling slightly but managed to nod.

Certo bobbed his head slightly. "You guys head home."

"Wait what are you going to do?" Shin asked.

"To finish what that guy started. I'm gunna go turn him in." Certo turned to walk away but Miumi grabbed his hand. Certo looked into her scared eyes. "I'll be careful." He assured her. Miumi held on for a moment then released her grip. The group watched as Certo walked back the way he came.

"We should get going." Shin piped up after a moment of silence.

"I don't know." Nerene narrowed her eyes. "I think we should stick around and help Certo."

Shin sighed and rolled his eyes. "Are you two going to be okay walking home together?" He asked over at JT.

"I think we'll manage." JT nodded. "C'mon sis. Let's get you home."

"Sure." Miumi mumbled. She looked back over her shoulder as JT escorted her away.

Shin and Nerene walked back down the street. It didn't take then long before they spotted Certo emerge from an alleyway.

"Certo!" Nerene called.

Certo looked at them in surprise. "Hey mates. What's going on? Something wrong?"

"We thought we should give you a hand just in case." Shin said as he cracked his knuckles.

Certo smiled. "Thanks. But I got the situation covered." He jerked his head to the side and the two upperclassmen peered down the alleyway. To their surprise a pair of police officers and a team of paramedics were grouped around a man who was still unconscious. "The police have everything taken care of."

"Then let's go home." Nerene put an arm around Certo's waist. "It's been a long day and we could use the rest."

"Very well." Certo nodded. He walked with his two friends to the gate where had met up earlier that day. "It was fun to spend time with you guys." Certo sighed before they went their separate ways.

"Yes it was." Nerene said with a smile. "We should do it more often."

Certo just smiled back. He wanted to agree. But he held the feeling in the pit of his stomach that it may not be possible as much as he truly wanted.

"We'll see you in class on monday." Shin waved.

"Take care of yourself." Nerene said an gave Certo a hug; a gesture that was not often performed.

"You guys too." Certo nodded. He waited until they were out of sight before seeking cover off the beaten path. Once in the shadows Certo shed his clothes and began to change. His tail sprouted and his neck and jaws extended once his wings grew, Certo took to the air. He was eager to go home to Kyubi. But first he had some business to take care of.

Miumi lay in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She had requested that JT not tell their mom about what had happened a short while earlier. The incident had just seemed too unreal. She sighed and rolled onto her side. She was lucky Certo had been there to save her. She would be eternally grateful to him for that.

Just as she was about to start nodding off she heard a sudden rush of wind against her window pane and a shadow flit by. Immediately she sat up.

"What was that?" She gulped with wide alert eyes. She slowly got out of bed and stepped lightly towards the window. There was a sound of crunching outside and she slowly parted the drapes. She looked down into the bushes that ran along the side of her house. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Certo crouched down in them. He waved up at her.

Miumi parted the drapes and opened the window. "Certo? What are you doing here?" She whispered.

"I just came to see if you were doing okay." Certo remained crouching since his lower torso was still reptilian.

Miumi was a surprised by his answer and her heart rate spiked. "I-I..." She stammered. At last she was able to get herself under control. She smiled down at Certo, her cheeks still slightly flushed. "I'm okay, thanks to you."

"I know but are you okay now?" Certo hissed.

"Now that you're here." Miumi tried to hide her smile behind her hand but Certo's keen dragon eyes spotted it.

"Good. I'm glad." Certo bobbed his head slightly. "Go get some rest. I will see at school on Monday."

"Okay." Miumi nodded and turned away from the window. As soon as she turned away, Certo spread his wings and took off with a magnificent flap of his leathery wings. Miumi heard the noise and her head snapped around just in time to see a trailing shadow of a tail zipped past her window. She stared at the moon for a long hard moment. She wasn't sure what to think about what she just saw. Her thoughts drifted back to Certo hiding outside her window and the smile returned to her face. Miumi crawled into bed and curled up with her pillow. Before long she was fast asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

"Stop it Certo!" Kyubi shouted.

"Stop what?" Certo dodged her sword and spun away.

"Stop holding back you fool!"

"Shouldn't I be practicing restraint though?"

"If you're not prepared to defend yourself you will never make it in a battle with the Dark Ki! Now Fight me!" She swung again and Certo bent back at his knees and avoided the strike. His dragon talons burst through his shoes and dug into the ground. He reared back and head-butt Kyubi. The girl staggered back clutching at her head. She was dizzy and her eyes were blurred from the tears swelling up in them.

Certo's tail spurted out from his spine and grabbed Kyubi's leg. Before she could stab her sword into his tail, Certo yanked her up and hurled her into a tree. Kyubi rolled to the side as Certo's tail whipped around to cut through the tree with an air-slice. Kyubi lunged for Certo's side, blade ready to strike and teach him a lesson about leaving his flank open.

Certo turned on Kyubi quicker than lightning. Kyubi realized his intention and skidded to a halt. She dove to the side as Certo let out a sonic roar, and turned a pair of trees to splinters. Kyubi sprang back and hurled a ball of fire at Certo's backside. Certo slapped the flame away with his tail and leaped backwards and landed on top of a light pole. Kyubi glared up at him as her energy burned all around her.

Certo watched as she grew fur on her cheeks and ears. Small whiskers sprouted and her ears grew outward. The flames gathered around her body and seemed to take form. Certo's eyes grew wide as the spirit of a fox stared him down.

Then Kyubi leaned her head back and let out a howl that made Certo's blood run cold and his scales rattled in agitation. Kyubi narrowed her eyes at Certo who was trembling in fear. The girl bared her fangs and sprang into the air.

Certo watched with wide eyes as Kyubi gripped her sword in a way that showed she was preparing for a final strike. Time began to slow down for Certo but his heart was beating faster than ever. All of a sudden his eyes flashed red and his pupils turned to slits. A wave of energy shuddered from his body and Kyubi felt the massive surge of power. With a deafening roar Certo spewed a wave of fire straight at Kyubi.

The Knight Caster's eyes widened in surprise at the wall of fire spiraling towards her. When the flames disappeared Certo lay beneath the light pole in a heap. Kyubi looked at him for a long hard moment. She was breathing hard as she sheathed her sword. She stared at the sweat she wiped off her forehead before brushing it off.

Certo groaned as he regained consciousness. Kyubi sat down in front of him as he picked himself up.

"What, happened?" Certo shook his head.

"That's what I'd like to ask you." Kyubi rested her head in her hands and continued to stare hard at Certo. "I never knew the Imperial could breathe fire. But even if he did, how did you learn to use it in the first place?"

"I dunno." Certo turned to his wounded shoulder and eyed the gash Kyubi had given him. The wound started from his left shoulder and carried across his chest to his right shoulder. "It just kind of happened. I saw you coming at me like you were going to kill me and guess I just feared for my life and..." Kyubi stopped him with a raised hand.

"Don't worry about it. The important thing is that you defended yourself anyways. Even if it was only a training partner." Kyubi placed a hand on Certo's chest and healed the laceration. "The lesson for today is: know your enemy's strengths and weaknesses."

"What? How?"

"Use your head Certo." Kyubi frowned and flicked his forehead. "You're a smart guy. I can control fire and apparently you can too. So using fire to fight fire is probably not the best solution."

"Understood." Certo nodded firmly. He rose back up on all fours and shook the ash off his scales.

"Hey! Watch it!" Kyubi whined as she waved him away.

"Oh, sorry. "Certo chuckled apologetically. Kyubi glowered at him. "Look on the bright side, at least it wasn't water."

Kyubi sighed. "Fair enough. Let's go home. I need to clean off."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Certo spread his wings and lowered himself to allow Kyubi to easily climb onto his shoulders. She willingly climbed, although she usually objected to "riding on the Imperial." As they headed towards home in the fading sunlight Kyubi leaned down and wrapped her arms around Certo's neck.

The dragon's muscles twitched. She had never done this before.

"Kyubi, are you feeling okay?" He asked nervously.

"I'm fine." Kyubi sighed. "Just a little tired." She lay her head down at the base of Certo's skull and he could feel her warm breath and long soft hair on the back of his neck. Certo's heart fluttered and began to beat faster.

When they arrived back at Certo's home, he landed on the roof and stood upright to allow himself to look back at Kyubi.

"We're back." He whispered and nuzzled her with his snout.

Kyubi yawned, exposing her sharp canine teeth and slid off Certo's shoulders and hopped onto his balcony. She slid open his door and trudged to her spot on the floor where Certo had built a make-shift nest out of his extra blankets and quilts. Certo gave the area a quick sweep with his eyes before spreading his wings wide. His flapping began slowly then sped up. The gust from his wings quickly turned to a small whirlwind. Then as abruptly as it started it died down. Certo flicked his tongue out very rapidly several times to taste the air. When everything was clear he slithered inside his home.

Once inside he reverted to his human form and got dressed for bed. Once he was done he went into the bathroom and turned on the bath for Kyubi.

As the tub was filling up Certo found himself watching as the water ripple throughout the tub. He sighed and the wind brushed the water's surface. Certo sighed again, softer this time and the water began to make more waves. Certo paused for a moment and let the tub finish filling. When the water had settled, Certo extended his hands over the water. He closed his eyes and and began to meditate. The house was completely silent except for the occasional drop hitting the water's surface.

He was feeling warm inside and he focused that heat to his hands. He was concentrating on the water and he began to sense bubbles rising from the bottom of the tub. It was steady at first but soon they began rising more rapidly.

Deep down Certo could hear his inner dragon making low growling noises and the power increased. The water began to boil and the water began to churn.

"Certo?"

Certo's eyes snapped open and the bubbling stopped. He turned to see Kyubi standing naked in the doorway. She had a look on her face that seemed to show she was having a difficult time understanding what she was seeing.

Certo's eyes gave her a quick sweep and his heart rate spiked and the temperature of the air rose.

"Kyubi...I...just...I..." Certo began to get the feeling that his life was being threatened and he scooted back away from the doorway.

"What have you been doing when I'm not around?" Kyubi asked as she entered the bathroom and knelt down in front of Certo.

"I...I didn't mean it!" Certo whined, as he shied away trying to melt through the wall. "I wasn't trying to do anything bad! I swear!"

Kyubi's eyes got that intense blaze deep within them when she was serious about something. Certo saw this immediately as she leaned in towards him. His heart and adrenaline were skyrocketing. He couldn't get away and Certo was feeling that wave of fear when Kyubi had first tried to kill him.

Kyubi looked deep into his eyes as tears began to flow from them. Certo's breathing was becoming more desperate as her stare seemed to peer into his very soul.

"Please Kyubi..." Certo strained a whisper. Kyubi broke her eye contact and looked at Certo. He was sweating profusely and shaking all over. His body was beginning to turn dragon as well. Scales had already began appearing on his cheeks arms and legs.

"Certo?" Kyubi looked at him as if she could figure out why he was reacting to her in such a manner. "Are you...?"

Certo managed a weak shake of his head. Kyubi placed a hand on his chest and felt his racing heart. Then she understood.

"Oh Certo." She whispered and held his head close to her. "You don't have to be afraid of me." She stroked his scalp with her nails. "I have no intention of killing you. Not any more. I couldn't bring myself to ever do so."

In her arms, Certo was frozen in disbelief. At last he squeezed his teeth and eyes closed tightly and let the tears flow freely.

Kyubi felt certo's temperature return to normal and his vitals stabilize. She felt as his body began to slip into slumber in her arms before laying him down on the tile. She looked over at the steaming tub water and placed a finger into it. It was boiling hit, but the heat didn't phase her in the least. She climbed in and let the hot liquid relax her body entirely as she submerged until only her face was exposed.

As she stared up at the ceiling her thoughts began to wonder. "Certo." She pondered to herself. "He's so different than anyone I've ever met before. He's so unbelievably strong willed. I've put him through the most intense training I can think of and he hasn't complained or objected once. He's been determined to follow the Knight Caster way of protecting the realms from the Dark Ki. And he hasn't even been inducted into the Knight Caster Order." She sighed and her eyes shot to the side before they returned to the ceiling. "The Order would never accept him under any circumstances. He's the Imperial after all. The most powerful being alive."

She raised an arm out of the water and a blue fireball formed in her palm. "This whole, Noble Mission to protect the realms from the power of The Imperial is turning out to be more complicated than I had been taught. It was all so simple before. If The Imperial was reborn, destroy it and wait for it to happen again. It was so simple for the elder Knight Casters. So why is it so much more complicated for me?" She sat up in the tub and stared at Certo curled up on the floor. His skin was still peppered with glossy scales and even Kyubi found herself admiring him.

She glanced from her fire ball then back to Certo. She searched for a reason to destroy him, but found none.

"I really can't do it." She sighed and splashed back down in the tub. "Is it because he chose me to be his familiar? I doubt it. Then what is it about The Imperial that I find so..." She glanced at Certo again and her cheeks flushed. "Attractive isn't the word. Perhaps enticing? He knew nothing about our world or magic when we first met. But he's progressed so quickly and shown more signs that his potential is far greater than anyone has ever said before. The Imperial was said to be extremely skilled with magic but something about Certo is different. We've identified him as the Imperial, but something doesn't add up. I wonder if he's something different than what the Knight Caster's have been trying to keep the Dark Ki from getting their hands on all this time."

Kyubi climbed out of the tub and her flames swirled around her body, drying her in a matter of seconds. She knelt down beside Certo and ran her long nails along his scales. Certo's body temperature rose slightly but quickly returned to normal. "Certo, what are you." She whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

Certo twitched slightly. He felt really warm and somewhat cramped. He began to stir from his slumber and was interrupted when Kyubi moaned.

"Sit still will you?"

Certo stopped squirming and opened his eyes. Lying there in front of him was Kyubi. She hadn't gotten dressed after her bath and had fallen asleep beside him. Seeing her there caused Certo's blood to boil and his heart rate to spike. He swallowed hard and didn't move a muscle. His muscles seemed to lock up from seeing her so close to him. As if to sense this Kyubi opened her eyes and seemed to glare at him.

"You know I can feel how tense you are." She muttered. "If you must get up then do so."

"Um..." Certo muttered and rose to his feet. He stepped over Kyubi who kept her gaze straight, trying to pretend she didn't care that she had been woken up. All at once she felt his hands on her back and thighs. The Knight Caster squeaked in alarm and tried to whirl around to strike but found herself already caught up in Certo's grip as he lifted her off the bathroom tile.

"What are you doing?" She demanded, her cheeks burning red. Certo only walked out of the bathroom and set her down on his bed. Kyubi watched with wide eyes and the flushed color of her cheeks seemed to spread to the rest of her naked body. Certo covered her with his cool blankets, trying not to let her catch him gazing at her bare, slim figure.

It wasn't until he saw the clock that his attention was yanked away from the naked girl in his bed. "Aw bloody hell! I'm late!" He shouted and hurried to get dressed and grab his school items. Kyubi watched him curiously. Her fierce blue eyes seemed to soften as she found him clumsily stumbling over her makeshift blanket nest and falling on his face.

"Still just as clumsy. But still..." She thought to herself. At last Certo had gathered his belongings for school and was headed for the door. "Wait." She ordered and Certo froze instinctively. Kyubi got out of bed and Certo's temperature began to rise as he saw the blankets fall from her delicate skin as she walked towards him.

"Um... Kyubi..." The Caster stopped in front of him and pressed her finger into his chest.

"Fly." She said and pointed to the window.

"What?"

"If you're going to be late I suggest that you fly so that you're not late." The fox girl explained. "I don't want you getting in trouble with your other superiors."

Certo looked from his partner to the still open window.

"Go!" Kyubi snapped and Certo sprang for the opened sliding glass door. He soared over the balcony and his wings burst from his shirt with a piercing rip. Kyubi shook her head as she watched him go from out on the balcony. "You're such an idiot Certo." She shook her head with a smile before turning back inside.

Certo landed on the rooftop to the main building of his campus. He breathed deep as he felt his wings such back into his body and immediately felt a breeze hit his back. He shivered and turned his head around to see his ripped shirt before silently cursing himself. He put his uniform coat on over and entered the building through the stairwell to the roof. He dashed down the stairs and into his classroom seat just as the bell rang.

"Safe." He gasped as he hit his head on the wooden desk surface.

"Running a little late today buddy? JT asked.

"Yeah, long night." Certo groaned as he turned his head to the side to look his friend in the eye. His sister glanced over at him from the next row over.

"Have you been getting enough sleep lately?" Miumi asked gently.

"Well," Certo started. "I've been working really hard as of recently so I guess I need to step back and take it easy for a bit."

"Sounds good to me." JT chuckled. "Maybe then the teachers will stop comparing us to you and give us a break."

"JT!" Miumi scolded him and elbowed him in the shoulder.

The morning went smoothly as usual until it came time for P.E. As the boys changed into their gym outfits, Shin glanced over in Certo's direction as he removed his jacket. Certo was moving quickly to try and get the tattered remains of his shirt stashed away; but Shin noticed the large rips in his shirt where his shoulder blades were. He was tempted to go over and talk to him about it but decided against it. Having a tattered shirt was definitely suspicious but this wasn't the place to confront him about it. The upperclassman left the locker room and met Nerene out in the track as they waited for the rest of their class.

"I think you may be right about Certo. There's definitely something going on with him other than what we've seen at school here."

"Oh? And what suddenly changed your mind about it?" Nerene asked. She was somewhat glad Shin was finally listening to her but still rather irritated that it had taken him this long to get him to agree with her. Shin went on to describe what he'd seen in the locker room but this information only confused the girl. "That's definitely odd but why would he be wearing a shirt with holes in it?"

"I don't know." Shin shrugged as they spotted Certo, JT and Miumi walk out onto the rack. "But we'll find out soon enough."

"I'm home." Certo called as he landed on the balcony to his home. The glass door was open giving a fresh atmosphere to his room.

"Good you're back." Kyubi chirped almost joyfully. She walked up the stairs to his room wearing a pair of his black Dickies* and a dark blue tank top that hung rather loose on her. The outfit would have been perfect for her is she hadn't been so small but Certo couldn't help but notice how cute she looked in it.

"You look good in that." Certo pointed out, trying to be casual about it.

Kyubi's cheeks flushed and she glared at him, clearly embarrassed by his statement. "Well I don't have any means of washing my clothes and you've never objected to me wearing yours. So I thought it would be all right with The Imperial if I went ahead and donned some fresh garments."

Certo cracked a smile. "That's fine with me. I only wish I had some shoes for you to match." He and Kyubi stared down at her bare feet.

"Can we stop talking about what I look like and get on with our business?"

"Oh, right." Certo nodded and kicked off his shoes and socks. His bones creaked and groaned as his legs bent back at the knee and became covered in glossy, black scales.

Kyubi waved her hand dismissively. "Not today Certo. We're not going to be training together."

"Huh?" Certo gave her a perplexed stare. He didn't know if he should be disappointed or worried. Kyubi had always been very insistent in training him, so why had this sudden change come about?

"I want you to do me a favor."

"Anything." Certo nodded dumbly. "I'm glad to hear that." Kyubi nodded. She sat down on Certo's bed and pulled on her boots before walking out to the balcony after slinging her sword. She waited for Certo to come before climbing onto his back after he reverted to his dragon form.

They flew on in silence. Her mind pondering what she was about to do and Certo's thoughts rattling about, unsure what to make of the sudden situation.

"Down there," Kyubi pointed. Certo glided down to the park plaza in the late afternoon sun.

"What are we doing here?" He asked as he looked around.

"I'm going back." Kyubi answered.

"What? Going back? But why?" Certo exclaimed. "What ever happened to being partners and the need to protect me?"

"Certo calm down." Kyubi ordered causing the black dragon to fall silent. "That has not changed one bit. But over the last couple weeks I've been noticing things about you that have made a lot of questions come up in my mind."

"Is that bad thing?"

"I'm not sure." Kyubi hung her head. "I don't know right off the top of my head. But that's why I need to go back and get some answers from The Order. They're the ones who supposedly know the most about you. And if I'm your chosen familiar I should know as much as I can about you so that we can work together better."

Certo knew she was telling the truth but he still was not buying into this whole idea. Kyubi sensed this and walked up to stroke his long, narrow muzzle.

"Don't worry about me. I'll try not to be gone too long. I have no doubt that you'll be able to take care of yourself while I'm gone should anything happen."

"Really?" Kyubi nodded and Certo gave a pleasant, growl. "Thank you Kyubi. I won't let you down."

"You never do." The Knight Caster whispered softly and rubbed her cheek against his before stepping back into the center of the plaza. Certo spread his talons across the pavement and a low growl resonated in his throat. As his magical energy spread out from his body the runes lit up and the orb of light appeared in the center of the plaza. Kyubi stepped closer to it. After a moment she glanced back over her shoulder. "Be well Certo." The Imperial only nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on her. Kyubi turned back and reached for the orb and vanished in flash of light. As the glow of energy died away Certo sighed.

"I'd be better if you were here." He spread his wings and flew back home.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Kyubi stretched and looked around. She was glad she had asked Certo to use his energy to open the portal in case enemies were waiting on the other side. The cave of the wolf twins still wreaked with their scent and the fox girl curled her nose and lip. She walked out of the cave and gazed across the vast landscape of her home world. The soft breeze made her feel at home again. The last rays of light cast a golden glow across the fields of grass spread out before her.

"Well," she sighed and took in a deep breath. "Time to get to work."

Two days passed by at a snail's pace for Certo. He spent most of the time in class staring out the window and gazing up at the sky. He wondered what could be going through Kyubi's mind when she broke the news to him that she was going to talk to The Order. Would this 'Order' even be willing to help her? Especially if she was in association with him? His mind was so plagued with questions he didn't hear the lunch bell ring.

"Hey buddy." A sudden elbow brought him back to reality. Certo turned to see JT and Miumi staring at him. "You alright? You seem kind of out of it."

"I'm fine." Certo sighed. "Just a little tired I suppose."

"Tired from working so hard lately?" Miumi asked.

"I don't know," Certo muttered. "I have the energy... but for some reason I don't feel like I have the will anymore."

"What's on your mind?" Miumi got up and sat in one of the empty chairs in front of Certo and leaned in close to him, her dark eyes glistening like onyx in the midday sun.

"It's nothing really." Certo muttered and law his head down in front of her.

"Come on man. You know you can talk to us about anything." JT objected to being shut out.

Certo sighed. "O k, if you must know, I just feel like something is going on somewhere and I don't know what it is about."

"You mean back home don't you." Miumi pointed out. She knew how Certo's family treated him and the fact that he was still worried about his family bothered her. She knew it wasn't in his nature to dislike anyone but she couldn't understand why he would want to be a part of a group of people who didn't care about him like family should.

Certo paused a moment before speaking again. "Yeah. It's at home." I'm not sure what's going on, but I just get this feeling it's something big."

"Big as in bad?" JT leaned closer trying to hear his friend's lowered tone of voice.

"I don't know." Certo shook his head. "I just want to know if it's me being paranoid or if there's really something wrong."

"Why don't you call home after school and find out?" Miumi suggested, rather reluctant to the idea herself. "That might put your mind at ease."

"I suppose so." Certo bobbed his head slightly and lay his head down to rest.

"Hey, aren't you hungry?" JT asked, trying to rouse his friend.

"No, I'm not." Certo murmured and drifted off to sleep.

"Well that's not very much like him." JT pointed out as he jabbed his friend in the shoulder with his finger a couple times.

"Stop that!" Miumi scolded and swat his hand away. "Leave him be. We can always find Shine and Nerene and have lunch with them. I think right now Certo just needs to time alone."

"Alright, alright." JT surrendered. "I was just saying that he doesn't usually fall asleep like this."

"Yeah well, let's just go." Miumi got up and ushered her brother out of the room.

Certo's eyelids twitched in his sleep. His body felt arm; very warm. He could hear the throbbing of his heart and a growl rumbling deep inside him. His dragon side was growing restless and beginning to rise up. Certo's lip curled and the growl grew louder. His relaxed hands curved into claws and his talons began to form. The pressure on his feet began to increase as his hind legs began to grow more muscular. There was a loud rip and suddenly Certo's eyes snapped wide open. He sat straight up in his seat and looked around. The classroom was empty but it was still lunch hour. Certo looked down to see the seams of his pants had ripped and his shoes were beginning to split open. It was then he noticed the black scales covering his arms and the long talons that made up his hand.

"Uh oh." He nearly choked and shoved his hand into his jacket. He jumped out of his chair and dashed into the hallway, running as fast as he could to the nurse's office.

"I wonder where Certo went." Miumi shook her head as she and her brother walked home after school. "He didn't return after lunch hour."

"I know." JT nodded. "He's been acting strange for the past two days. I wonder what's going on in his life to make him so out of it."

"These past couple months have been a big change for him. Ever since his disappearance he's been acting differently."

"But that's natural." JT pointed out. "Even you're more cautious after that incident downtown."

"I suppose so." Miumi sighed. "Maybe we should go by and check on him just in case."

"You really think we should?"

"We're his best friends right? Of course we should be concerned about him."

"Alright then. Let's make it quick though. It'll be getting dark soon."

Certo stared at himself in the mirror. He had explained to the school nurse that he was not feeling well due to severe cramping against his rib cage. It had taken some convincing for her to agree to let him leave the campus and not a moment too soon. As soon as he set foot off the school grounds he began to change even more. By the time he had made it home his clothes had all been shredded and now he stood before himself, fully dragon again.

"I don't get it." He muttered to himself. "I've never had trouble controlling myself before. So why now of all times?" He sighed and looked down at his long deadly talons. "What am I going to do? I've been trying to return to normal for the past couple hours and not so much as a hair has gone back to normal."

The Imperial paced in a tight circle being careful not to knock anything over with his long tail. "Maybe this has something to do with the Dark Ki. Maybe it's some sort of spell to expose who I really am." He glanced outside his sliding glass door. "If that's the case then I need to find them before they find me, but..." His voice trailed off. Something about tis situation didn't seem like the works of the Dark Ki. The more Certo thought about it the more he came to realize how little he knew about them. He was deep in thought when wave of energy swept through his body. He groaned and collapsed to his belly.

After several long aching minutes he rose off the floor and staggered over to his dresser. He clumsily used his talons to pull open his drawers and pull out various clothing items and roughly stuffing them into a large backpack. After nearly tearing the zipper off trying to close it, and gathering several other supplies, Certo managed to get himself all packed up. He snatched the bag up in his jaws and slithered out onto his balcony. The black dragon hopped onto the railing and sprang into the air with wings spread wide.

JT and Miumi hustled through the side streets of Certo's neighborhood. For some odd reason, Miumi was running with a particular kind of urgency. They were about a block away from Certo's home when the twins looked up to see a figure in the sky heading towards them. They squinted at it against the sun and soon the sound of wings beating the wind could be heard.

JT seemed to sense something and pulled his sister into a side street.

"JT, what are you..." Her brother clasped a hand over her mouth and listened as the wing beats grew louder. There was gust of wind as the creature flew past them. The twins stared in wide eyed shock as the great beast shot past them carrying a back pack in its mouth.

"What the hell was that!" JT gasped almost unable to believe what they had just seen.

"JT, I think we need to find Certo. Now." Miumi stammered. She already had an idea of what was going on but she wanted to push on to be sure.

"Y-yeah." Her brother nodded dumbly. "Let's go."

The twins ran on and arrived at Certo's home in a matter of minutes. JT reached out and banged on the door.

"Hey Certo! You in there? It's us!" There was no answer. "Certo!" He shouted again.

"JT," Miumi called. Her brother stepped away from the door and his sister pointed to the open sliding door on the balcony. A moment later JT found himself groaning beneath the strain of lifting his sister up to the balcony. After a couple failed attempts and falls he was able to hoist her up high enough to allow her to grip the railing. Miumi pulled herself up and clumsily tumbled into Certo's room; it was a mess. Certo's clothes and drawers were strewn about the room along with his bedding which was wrapped up almost like it were a nest.

"What do you see?" JT called from outside. Miumi didn't say anything. She walked downstairs and opened the front door for her brother. Once inside, JT looked around. The small kitchen had several pots knocked over and packets of food were scattered about the countertops and linoleum. "Wow, I hope Certo hasn't changed his living style. He's normally such a neat freak."

"It has been a while since we last visited him here." Miumi nodded. She glanced around the lower level and her eyes fell upon the key hook next to the door. On one of the hooks was a large piece of paper with crude writing on it. She gently unhooked it and looked it over.

"Hey, look at this." JT broke her concentration as she tried to decipher the hand writing. She looked over her shoulder to see him looking at one of the cabinet doors. Embedded in the wood were claw marks; fresh claw marks. JT looked at his sister and they exchanged looks. "You don't think..." JT started but didn't need to finish. He and his sister often thought very much alike.

"I think it may just be a possibility." Miumi nodded and handed him the note. JT spent several minutes looking it over and at last raised a brow. "What is it?" Miumi asked, the worry in her voice very clear.

"It's a note from... Certo." JT replied skeptically.

"How can you tell?" Miumi took the note again and looked it over. Her brother pointed to the bottom scribble. It was Certo's name alright but written very poorly.

"He says that it's an emergency and that he'll return as soon as he can." JT translated the writing for her seeing the confusion in her eyes. "He doesn't say what the emergency is. Just that he'll explain what's going on when he gets back."

Miumi was silent for a long time. She trudged up the stairs to Certo's room and looked around again. Certo had been acting differently lately and she was really worried about him. He rarely talked about himself and home and now she was beginning to regret not asking him more frequently. When he had first come to Japan her mother had suggested he live with them but Certo had insisted on living on his own and achieving his own independence. Now more than ever she missed him; but it was more than just a friend. She gripped the crinkled note in her hands as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. JT came up the stairs and sat down next to his sister who looked up at him with glossy eyes.

"What do we do?" She sniffled.

JT sighed as he thought about that. "I have no idea. But for now I think we should be there for Certo as much as we can." He smiled and hugged his sister close to him. "After all, we're friends right?"

His words seemed to make Miumi feel better because she smiled. "Yeah. We are." She hung her head on her brother's shoulder and sighed. "Hurry back Certo." She thought to herself.

The Imperial dragon landed in the park plaza and folded his wings. He paced around until he found the spot he was looking for. Without hesitating he expelled his magical energy and lit the runes surrounding the plaza. The orb appeared and crackled with lightning and the wind roared. Certo narrowed his eyes as he pondered his next course of action, almost unsure of following through with his plan. After a deep growl of a sigh he reached out and vanished in a flash of light.


	11. Chapter 11

Kyubi hurried across the grassy plains towards the east. She had passed through several villages and towns since arriving back in her realm. The Knight Caster only stopped to check in the local merchants to see what news there was from the Knight Caster brigade she had been stationed with. So far all information had been mainly consisting results of skirmishes between members of both sides.

"Would you send out a hawk to the city of Lundor and have the elders of the Knight Caster Order await my arrival?" Kyubi asked one of her personal informants. "I wish to speak to them immediately."

"I will do my best Lady Fox." The man bowed. "But you should know that there have been rumors that you have run away with the Imperial. I fear that the order may not be entirely eager to see or hear from you right away."

"I'm well aware." Kyubi nodded. "But I will have a full report for the Order ready upon my arrival."

"As you wish my lady." The man bowed again to thew younger girl.

"And Kota." Kyubi interrupted. "You can call me Kyubi."

Kota looked at her curiously. The name sounded very foreign to him but it did strike a rather graceful note with him.

"As you wish Lady Kyubi. I will have a carrier hawk dispatched immediately."

"Thank you Kota." Kyubi smiled. "If you will, perhaps I could rest at your quarters for a short while?"

"Certainly." The middle-aged man nodded. He led Kyubi out of the dark alley and looked around. When he was certain the coast was clear he emerged into the streets of the town with Kyubi trailing close behind him. It didn't take long for them to arrive at Kota's personal quarters. Once inside Kyubi sighed with relief. She took off the cloak she was wearing to reveal Certo's over-sized T-shirt and black pants.

"Goodness my lady!" Kota exclaimed. "What sort of garments are you wearing? Your father would not approve of such styles in the slightest."

"My father will not see such styles unless I wish him to." Kyubi retorted. She sat down on a stool beside the fireplace and looked herself over. "Besides, these were... a gift."

"From the Imperial?" Kota raised a suspicious brow.

"That is not your concern." Kyubi narrowed her eyes at her informant.

"My lady, I would advise you to be wary of your actions regarding the Imperial. You know the Knight Caster way and the mission to protect the realms from the power of the Imperial."

"Which is exactly why I am here. Why I've returned after being gone for so long. I need to know more. I have to know more about the Imperial if I am to truly save the realms."

"Oh?" Kota raised a brow as he walked over to the fireplace and sat down in an easy chair and began to smoke a pipe he had resting on a table next to his chair. "You sound like you have a plan in mind."

"The workings of one." Kyubi nodded. "But like I said before, I need to talk to The Order."

Kota smoked his pipe thoughtfully as he stared at the girl. Kyubi's bright blue eyes seemed to blaze with the flames in the fireplace. Whatever was on her mind, she was dead serious about it; there would be no trying to change her mind unless it was by the order of the elders of the Knight Caster Order. Kota smiled to himself but said nothing.

Certo groaned as he sat up from under the trunk of a tree. The night had been loud and restless with the sounds of the unfamiliar night life around him. The Imperial had ended up falling asleep in his dragon form to appear more intimidating to anything curious enough to check him out. The past three nights had been this way and Certo was beginning to wear out faster than he had expected.

The dragon reverted to his human form and got dressed before emerging into the warm sunlight for a long stretch. He washed up at a nearby creek and used some of the water to mix with his dehydrated rations. The meal was bland but it kept him from going hungry. After packing up his belongings in his duffel bag, he sprouted his wings and flew off in the direction he thought Kyubi may have gone. Certo's mind was too plagued to accurately sense her. Ever since his transformation at school his mind had been a jumbled mess of thoughts. As he flew on he continued to notice the way his body continued to transform more despite his desire to remain dominantly human.

As he flew on, Certo began to notice that he hadn't seen any villages or signs of civilization anywhere. Not only that but the only sound he could hear was the wind brushing by him as he flew on. Not even so much as a song bird chirped and a feeling of uneasiness began to take him over. Certo began surveying the landscape more closely checking out every bush tree and shadow he could see on the ground below should any members of the Dark Ki be waiting to ambush him.

After several hours of uneventful flying across the plains and hills he spotted a large river cutting across the land and leading to a waterfall that flowed into a great valley beyond. Certo glided down towards it and came to a gentle landing at the water's edge. The pebbles beneath his shoes were polished smooth and glistened like semi-precious stones in the afternoon sun. The Imperial took some time to drink his fill completely and quench his thirst. As he sat down to relax for a little while he found himself staring up at the fluffy clouds drifting by overhead. A loud sigh escaped his mouth and the wind blew across the grass and rustling the trees. Certo raised his hand to look at it. It was covered in black scales and still changing, slowly.

"What is going on with me." He groaned. It was like ever since Kyubi had left his body had been acting against his will. Was it the spirit of his dragon self trying to take over? Or was it something else that he had no knowledge of? "I ned to find Kyubi, and fast." Certo closed his eyes and started to drift off into a light nap, hoping to regain his energy. He didn't realize it but he was being watched by the trees in the surrounding area. The wind rustled again and Certo cracked an eye. His blue iris rolled about in its socket before falling on the forest to his left. The wind settled down and he sat up. "I guess nap time is over." He muttered to himself, expecting Dark Ki monks at any moment. The half-dragon grabbed his duffel bag, spread his wings and took to the air again.

Kyubi walked almost impatiently through the streets of the city of Lundor. Getting access to the great city was easy being that it she was of the Knight Caster middle ranks. The guards did little to question her, keeping in mind her status amongst the ranks of their order. Kota had stayed behind at his rally point should she need any more assistance. It had been three days since speaking with the informant but the fox-girl was certain she could trust him with most information she provided him with.

The girl walked about the streets, her new cloak flowing gracefully behind her. She had changed into more appropriate Knight Caster garments, suited for a warrior of her stature. Her sword remained sheathed and strapped around her back. She donned lightweight armor plates on her legs, and chest as well as middle weight gauntlets and an armadillo-like base armor protecting her spine.

As she approached the edges of the business district of the city she noticed the increase in guards, both in human and bestial forms. They all watched her curiously as she made her way towards the upper levels of the city with a quick determination in her steps. As Kyubi reached the first plateau she was greeted by a monk in white with chain mail beneath his robes.

"Greetings Lady Fox." He bowed graciously. "I was expecting you."

"Good to see the carrier arrived safely." Kyubi nodded. "Has The Order been given notice of my arrival?"

"Indeed they have." The monk nodded. "They are...surprised, to say the least."

The pause in the monk's sentence caused Kyubi to raise an eye brow. She had expected there to be some disturbance amongst The Order upon her sudden reappearance but judging by the monk's tone there seemed to be more going on than he was revealing.

"Would you care to elaborate?" Kyubi raised a suspicious brow as she turned to walk towards the conference chambers.

"Well my lady, your sudden disappearance after the sudden capture of the Imperial has left The Order... confused."

"I can understand that." Kyubi nodded over her shoulder as the monk followed close.

"You see, according to the reports, your faction had infiltrated the Dark Ki fortress in order to kill the Imperial before the Dark Ki could obtain its power for themselves. However, Bear had reported that you did not follow through with the plan and instead captured the Imperial yourself, causing the loss of several of your fellow Knight Casters in the process."

Kyubi's blue eyes blazed bright and she whirled on the monk in a flash. "That is completely untrue!" She snapped causing several of the guards to jolt in surprise and tighten their grip on their weapons. "I caused no such incident! If there's any truth to that report at all, it's that I indeed rescued the Imperial but only because I was paying back a debt for saving my life from Shadow! I intended to kill him myself but before I could the Dark Ki stole him back!"

The monk nodded keeping his cool in front of their fiery tempered girl. "Indeed. And I understand you went after the Imperial yourself, correct?"

Kyubi bit her tongue to refrain from lashing out at the monk verbally. "Yes, that's correct."

"And then what?" The monk stopped and Kyubi turned to him. "You went into the Dark Ki fortress again, on your own with no support and were never heard from again until now. We had all assumed that you had died along with the Imperial."

"Well I can assure you that the Imperial is very much alive." Kyubi scoffed. This caused the guards to look nervously at one another. "And if you wish to discuss him then you can use his proper name."

"The Order is not interested in such formalities." The monk raised his hand dismissively. "But your sudden reappearance has raised a great deal of questions with the elders."

"Well I have a great deal of questions I would like to ask them as well." Kyubi stamped her foot stubbornly.

"I am certain that the council will not be as gracious as they could be considering the circumstances of your return."

"The circumstances?" Kyubi narrowed her eyes at the monk. "What do you mean?"

"The Order believes that you went awol by not carrying out your mission as planned. And, quite frankly, I agree with them."

"You would." Kyubi curled her lip, showing her fangs.

"You put our entire world in danger my lady!" The monk snarled, his brown eyes turning to feral slits. "The power of the Imperial could destroy our world for good this time! We have spend thousands of years trying to rebuild up to this point and we are still not fully recovered! If the Imperial's power fell into evil hands then we are all doomed to a world of eternal darkness!"

"Do not lecture me on such issues!" Kyubi stuck a punishing finger in the monks face. "I have done more for this world than you have ever done in your lifetime! I have been exposed to Certo's powers! I know what he's capable of! I know he would never turn evil, not even if the Dark Ki tempted him with ultimate power!"

"That is not a fact, it's an assumption!" The monk brought his face close to Kyubi's. "You only think that. But we are all mortal. We are all susceptible to temptations. Not even the Imperial is immune."

"It's not an assumption. It's a solid fact!" Kyubi stomped her foot again, this time sparks burst from under her boot.

"Foolish girl," the monk shook his head sadly and straightened back up. "You're still so young and you have so much to learn despite your experience."

"I am well aware." Kyubi curled her lip again. "That is why I have requested a hearing with The Order."

"I will announce your arrival." The monk nodded and walked down the hallway before disappearing around a corner. Kyubi sighed, already exhausted from the petty argument. She turned and leaned on the railing and looked down towards the smaller buildings of the city below. She suddenly felt weak, like she had just fought an entire battle and barely made it out alive. The girl shook that memory out of her head and gripped the railing tight.

"They don't know what's going on," she whispered to herself. "Certo..." She looked up at the clouds drifting by. The sky was blue and the hue reminded her of his eyes. No matter how pressured he was he had always seemed to keep a calm and peaceful energy in his eyes. Kyubi smiled to herself and leaned against a pillar beside her. "I hope he's doing okay."

The grass was slightly damp beneath Certo's bare feet as he walked across the plains. The soft dirt soothed his soles and the energy from the earth seemed to refresh him with every step. The Imperial had stashed his shoes and socks away in his duffel bag to keep from ripping his only pair of footwear should his dragon side regain control. Glossy black scales continued to speckle his body but Certo found that the more he walked the more relaxed his mind became and he was able to revert to his human form with greater success.

He was enjoying the walk despite the slower pace. The ability to remain in his human form was refreshing indeed. Granted that he was certain that the people of this realm were used to seeing dragons among other mythical beasts, but being cautious was a lesson Kyubi had taught him early on in their training together. The blue sky overhead reminded him of how her blue hair would flow when sparring together. Her eyes were the same color but they held a fierceness in them that contrasted the grace of her long, flowing hair.

"I really hope she doesn't get mad at me." Certo muttered to himself. "I know coming here may have been a bad idea, but..." He stared at the ground beneath his feet and stopped to wriggle his toes in the grass. As soon as he did, his toe nails began to turn into long, eagle-like talons. Certo wobbled slightly and went back to focussing on staying human. "I think that she'll understand."

Just then the ground shook. Certo's head jerked up and he looked around. The sound of thunder could be heard in the distance, but from where he could not tell. The rumbling began to grow louder and louder. Certo stood his ground; he was out in the open with nowhere to hide. The cover of the forest was too far off to get to before whatever was coming arrived. Certo slung his bag over his shoulder and tried his best to look as non-threatening and confident as possible. Over the horizon he could see a small cluster of figures come up over a small hill. The cluster appeared to be made up of men and women in light armor and garments resembling Kyubi's combat outfit from when Certo had first met her. The cluster grew in size until Certo could see dozens, and soon hundreds, of bodies running in his direction. He started to move away from them attempting to get out of their way but the hoard of warriors seemed to follow his direction.

"Bloody hell," he muttered to himself as he heard the sounds of their voices coming closer.

The warriors all stopped less than one hundred yards from where Certo was standing. Certo froze, not sure what to do. He narrowed his eyes and squinted to get a better look at the people standing across the field from him. Then his eyes grew wide as he realized who they were.

"Knight Casters." He thought to himself, his heart beating against the wall of his chest.

The men and women of the battalion locked their eyes on Certo.

"You there!" A loud gruff voice bellowed across the field. Certo straightened up as the warriors parted and let a large grizzly-looking man through. The man's body was massive. Certo stood six feet tall himself but this man was easily three heads over him. On first glance Certo wondered if the man was a giant of some sort but had little time to dwell on it.

"What are you doing out here in these parts alone?" He demanded. He was covered in animal pelts and leather belts giving him a distinct mountain-man appearance.

"I...I..." Certo stammered nervously. "I was just traveling. I'm on my way to meet a friend." He held his hands up in a display of honest defense. "Am I trespassing on private lands at all? If so I was not aware and I'd be happy to find an alternative route if you would be kind enough to show me."

The man curled his big lips from under his braided beard. "You are in fact trespassing. Trespassing on our rights to peace; Imperial." Certo froze.

"I-Imperial? Me?" He pointed to himself trying to look as confused and innocent as possible. "I beg your pardon friend but I think you have the wrong person." Certo was laying on the act as thick as possible to appear more convincing to the audience before him.

The grizzly man grabbed the thick metal beam that was strapped to his back and leveled the hammer at the teenager. One side looked like an axe blade while the other was flattened where the blade should have been expanded into a thick, mallet-like edge. "Your tricks won't fool us Imperial. We know who you are. Did you really think you could blend into our societies when looking like that?"

Certo looked down at himself and realized that he had been wearing his casual clothes. "Son of a bitch," he cursed to himself. He looked up at the Knight Casters and waved his hands dismissively. "Look, I'm not here to fight or cause any trouble. I'm only trying to find Kyubi so she can help me. It's really important."

"Kyubi?" The man raised a brow then narrowed his eyes again. "You mean Fox? She's dead. She died when she went to kill you after being capture again by the Dark Ki."

"No! She wasn't!" Certo protested. "She's alive! She's been living with me these past two months. She's been training me to help fight the Dark Ki."

"Well if she's been with you then she's a traitor to the Knight Caster Order!" The man gripped his hammer in both hands. "She has abandoned her duty and failed to head to our way of life."

"She didn't betray you, you cloth-eared numbskull!" Certo snapped, suddenly losing his temper. "She's been trying to help you and I've been trying to help you. We've already gotten rid of several Dark Ki members."

"Save your breath Imperial." The man snorted. "I, Bear will be the judge of who has helped who. Your very existence doesn't help anyone! You are a threat to ever living being across the cosmos and the only way to protect them is to take your life!"

"You've got it all wrong!" Certo shouted. "I'm not bad! I'm just a normal high school student!"

"You're a selfish being!" Bear snarled. "In your supreme life you gained all the power of the world, then when you were reincarnated you destroyed the world you lived in! We won't let you do it again! No after all we've done to rebuild!"

"I'm not like that at all!" Certo fumed, his hands tightened into fists, his slowly growing talons cutting into his palms.

"Silence! I will hear no more from you plague of an existence!" Bear let out a beastly roar and stepped forward, slamming his hammer into the ground. A cloud of dust shot into the air and a split second later a mount of earth burst up from under Certo striking him in the chest. He flew high into the air and hit the ground with a thud. The imperial wheezed as he struggled to regain his lost air. Across the field the Knight Casters charged with a determined battle cry. The sight of their weapons being drawn was enough to make Certo turn and run, but he was petrified.

"Move," he shouted in his mind. "Move!" The first warrior reached him and swung his pace, crush the teenager's skull. Certo squeaked and ducked under the swing. Another weapon came rushing at him and Certo side-stepped almost gracefully and dodged two more attackers.

By now the Knight Casters were closing in around him cutting off his means of escape with their mass of bodies. Certo ducked, bobbed and weaved in between them avoiding each strike as Kyubi had taught him to do.

Another roar erupted from Bear's throat. He stepped forward and slammed his hammer into the ground again. Certo felt the soil beneath his feet shift and he spun out of the way as another mound of earth shot up where he had just been. A warrior with a spear rushed in with two shorter lances on each side of him. Certo held his breath and jumped back hitting the spire of earth. At the last possible second his arms turned draconic and he dug his talons into the earth before swinging his legs up behind him to avoid being stabbed. The warriors looked up at him in surprise as a long black tail sprouted from Certo's spine. With a loud snap, he broke their weapons with a sharp swing of his tail, knocking them to the ground in the process.

"I don't want to fight you!" Certo shouted desperately.

"Then don't! And make our job of killing you easier!" A female dressed in a green tunic wielding a pair of daggers lunged at him. Certo somersaulted onto the ground, his dragon legs tearing through his pants. He grabbed the girl's arms with his right talon and slammed her into the pile of earth. The girl cried out in pain and tried to clutch at the deep gashes in her arms.

"Nala!"

Certo felt a pang of guilt in his heart as he looked at her before another group of warriors rushed in swinging their blades at him.

"I'm sorry Kyubi." He whispered. The four warriors thrust their swords forward. Certo crouched below them and with a loud rip, turned completely dragon. He exhaled with all the force he could muster and blew the four warriors and several other Knight Casters into the air.

Another angry bellow from Bear resulted in another swing of his hammer. This time Certo was ready for it. He jumped slightly and dug his claws into the pillar that shot up beneath him. He sprang off the mound of earth and lunged for Bear. The hulking Knight Caster prepared to swing his hammer but a sudden force of air hit him, stunning him. Certo's roar thundered in his ears as he spun into a screw attack. Bear regained his senses at the last moment and stepped back. Certo plunged into the ground as if it were nothing but water.

"What in ancient's sake?" The other Knight Casters stopped and looked at the hole in the earth.

"When could the Imperial do that?" One of the swordsmen asked in awe.

"It doesn't matter! Find him!" Bear ordered. Several of the Knight Casters paused to close their eyes and concentrate. Suddenly one of them opened his eyes wide and shouted.

"Look out!"

A loud roar echoed from the hole in front of bear. A second later a bubble burst from under the ground sending a shower of dirt and grass into the air. Several Knight Casters were sent flying their weapons clattering to the ground. The ground beneath Bear burst from under him as Certo leaped into the air. The black dragon let loose a menacing snarl and landed in another cluster of warriors before plunging back into the earth.

"He's gone back under!"

"Well get him out!"

Before any of them could move Certo burst up from under them again like a scaly black whale jumping out of the water before diving beneath the earth again.

Bear picked himself up off the ground and grabbed his hammer. He scanned the earth and sensed the Imperial's presence. Certo felt the Knight Caster's essence beneath the earth and magnified his own. The black dragon extended his wing tips until they resembled two shark-like fins breaking the surface of the plains. He dug into the ground at a phenomenal rate as he circled the Knight Casters like a hungry predator stalking his prey before going in for the kill.

"What is he doing?"

"He's just messing with us! Stay sharp! He's only an animal."

"I'll show you an animal." Certo thought to himself. His wing tips tucked back in and he disappeared below the earth again. For a long tense moment, all was silent.

"Did he get away?"

"No, I don't think so, I would have sensed it."

A low rumble began to shake the ground. A bubble began to rise in the middle of the Knight Casters.

"Move, move move!" The warriors scattered as the shock wave of air burst through the ground. The sound of Certo's roar rattled the warriors bones and rang in their ears.

"That was a close one."

"Yeah, but like I said, he's just an animal."

A sudden snarl grabbed the Knight Casters attention and a wall of fire burst up surrounding them. The path Certo had dug out of the earth when circling the Knight Casters was now a blazing inferno.

"We're trapped!"

"Fire elements! Take care of the flames!" Bear ordered. The intense heat was already making his blood boil and his vision was starting to blur. The Knight Casters coughed and gagged as they struggled to get fresh air into their lungs but the thick smoke was choking them to death. A sudden gust flew up past him as Certo shot like a black bullet out of the hole his shock wave had made and into the sky. Bear growled angrily and raised his hammer as if ready to swing. Before the hulk could make a move a sudden force struck from above as Certo released a sonic roar. The force brought every Knight Caster to their knees and crushed several of the less fortunate ones. The shock wave of air extinguished the flames in a cloud of dirt and grass.

When the roar of the flames and the echo of Certo's voice died away the black dragon slowly fluttered down to the ground. He circled the fallen, writhing Knight Casters until he was beside his duffel bag that he'd dropped after getting struck from Bear's attack. As he picked it up in his talons he heard a groan from behind him. The black dragon whirled around to see a single warrior bloodied and crawling towards him.

"You... you bastard... you set a trap... you... set us up for that move..."

Certo nodded and craned his long neck towards the man. The Knight Caster froze, expecting his head to be removed at any moment by the dragon's powerful jaws. Instead Certo raised a foot and pressed it onto the man's back. The man felt a sudden force rush through him and his body began to tingle. There was a loud snap as his broken legs healed themselves and his open wounds burned as they sealed up. Certo stepped back and let the man get to his feet. The warrior looked himself over surprised at what had just happened. He looked up to see Certo walk out into the middle of the group of fallen warriors crying out in fright as the dragon loomed over their broken bodies. Certo picked out several Knight Casters who looked like they were in more critical condition and repeated the process of healing their wounds as well. As each one got to their feet they watched in awe as the black dragon went about healing the seriously wounded.

After his seventh patient, Certo moved to the edge of the cluster of bodies. He looked back over his shoulder at the gaping warriors who had been watching him. He sighed sadly and turned to the south east before spreading his wings and taking off into the distance.

The man who had first been healed walked over to his friend who lay coughing on his own blood. His ears were bleeding and blood trickled from his nostrils and eyes.

"What was that animal thinking? Leaving us to die like this!"

"He didn't leave us to die." The man corrected as he watched the black dragon fade away into the distance. "He let us live."

Kyubi paced the hallway for over an hour. She had never been known for her extreme patience but now she felt like she was truly being put to the test. Deep down she knew that as far as matters concerning the Dark Ki, The Order was pretty busy. However, there was a nagging doubt that they were not taking the situation involving Certo, The Imperial, less seriously than they should.

After what seemed like ages the great doors to the conference chamber opened and Kyubi turned to enter. The monk from before emerged from the darkness of the room and held up a hand to stop her.

"What are you doing?" Kyubi demanded already at the end of her patience.

"The Order has denied your request to a hearing." The monk blinked several times, his eyes adjusting to the brightness of the sun.

"What? Why? Don't they know it involves the Imperial?"

"They do." The monk nodded. "But as of right now they are considering suspending you for your recent actions."

"I haven't done anything worth being suspended for!" Kyubi snapped.

"Not in your eyes but in the eyes of The Order you are guilty of endangering our world and its existence. You must enter but only to have your powers locked away."

"I will not do such a thing!" Kyubi protested. She turned to leave but the guards blocked her exit.

"I'm afraid you have no choice." The monk sighed solemnly. "You must be punished for your actions my lady."

"You can't punish me for doing what's moral and right!" Kyubi snarled her eyes burning to their feral beastly form. Embers began to burn from her hair and flames danced around her feet. THe guards stepped back slightly away from the sudden heat.

The monk only shook his head. "The Order foresaw you behaving in such a manner. They said you would not take your punishment graciously."

"Like I could take it any other way?" Kyubi almost spat fire at the monk.

"That is why they granted me the power to lock your powers away." He raised a hand and Kyubi's eyes grew wide. She suddenly felt her arms get yanked to the side and her body lift off the floor. She struggled as hard as she could but couldn't break free from the monk's magical grip.

"Put me down! Let me go!" She snarled, fur sprouting on her cheeks and her ears growing out into points.

"I'm sorry but I am not at liberty to do such a thing. You must be punished!"

"No!" Kyubi screamed and thrashed even harder. "I won't give in to something so stupid! You need me! The Order needs me! Certo needs me!"

"This Certo will have to live without you." The monk scoffed. "He is not meant to live in our world or any world for that matter. "And by allowing him to live you have broken the most sacred code of the Knight Caster Order to protect this world from darkness."

"Father!" Kyubi screamed at the top of her lungs. "Father help me!" The monk grabbed hold of her spiritual power with his essence and began to pull. Kyubi screamed hysterically as she tried to resist the pull of her own powers being stolen from her.

"Stop resisting!" The monk ordered. "Give your powers up or the punishment for resisting will be far more severe!"

"You can't do this!" Kyubi shrieked. "Certo!"

Suddenly a loud roar echoed across the city. The monk felt another opposing force grab hold of Kyubi's power and wrench his grip loose. The sudden force knocked him back into a pillar along the railing. Kyubi fell to her knees gasping for breath and clutching at her heart. All around her, blue flames danced furiously.

"What is going on here?" A group of monks in black robes emerged from the conference chamber and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the blue flames manifest into Certo's dragon form. The Imperial snarled menacingly at them and roared, sending their hoods flying off. The elders of The Order were sent tumbling head over heals before sliding up against the side of the railing.

"You dare to defy the Knight Caster order?" The monk in white demanded, angrily getting to his feet and glaring at the manifested dragon. Certo's eyes narrowed and he hissed sending sparks flying.

The guard closest to Kyubi raised his blade and swung. He immediately burst into flames and ran around flailing his arms, screaming at the top of his lungs before hurling himself over the railing and tumbling to his death on the rooftops below.

The white monk raised a hand again and took hold of Kyubi's power again. This time Certo swat the magical aura away with his claws, burning the monk's hand in the process. The blazing Imperial curled around Kyubi who was still collapsed on the floor. The monk snarled and barked like a wild dog as he transformed into his bestial form.

"No don't!" One of the elders shouted but Certo was quicker to react. With a earth shattering roar he struck the monk with his talons sending him crashing through the pillar and into the city below in a ball of fire. Certo snarled at the elders before tightening his coil around Kyubi's body and picking her up in his talons. With a flash of light and a gust of heat the dragon shot out across the city and disappeared into the distance in a matter of seconds.

"What in the heavens was that?" One of the elders gasped as she got to her feet.

"What I had feared." Another replied darkly. "The Imperial has bonded to my daughter."


End file.
